JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University received goals from eight different players, and at least one point from 14, as the Gothic Knights outshot Hunter College, 55-0, and routed the Hawks, 10-0, in a non-conference men’s soccer game at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. The win marks the ninth time NJCU has scored at least 10 goals in a game in school history and the fourth occurrence since 1999.
NJCU improves to 6-2 overall with its second straight shutout victory, and extended its consecutive minutes scoreless streak to 201:04. Hunter College, traditionally one of the stronger programs in the CUNY Athletic Conference, lost its sixth straight game to fall to 1-6. NJCU leads the all-time series, 10-6 since the first meeting in 1983. The Knights have won six consecutive meetings between the schools since 1999—all with Kevin East as the NJCU head coach—and have outscored the Hawks, 39-1 in that span. This was the seventh shutout by NJCU in the series, and the Knights have outscored Hunter 54-19 in the 16 games.
NJCU, the No. 9 ranked team in the Metro Region, started only six of its regulars, and owned a 3-0 lead at the half, with a 23-0 shots advantage. In a game where 23 NJCU players saw at least 16 minutes of action, the reserves accounted for seven of the 10 goals—all in the second half, courtesy of a 32-0 edge in shots in that period.
Overall, senior forward JOSE DeBERNARD (Lawrenceville, NJ/Princeton) and sophomore forward JUAN ZUNIGA (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) each scored twice, while senior forward ADRIAN RUIZ (Fairview, NJ/Dickinson) and rookie midfielder JOHN JENSEN (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) tallied one goal and one assist apiece. Freshman midfielder SCOTT MODZELEWSKI (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) contributed two assists.
DeBernard, who scored 17 goals in 2002 but was scoreless in his last two games, scored his fifth and sixth goals of the year in the first half, to give NJCU a 2-0 edge. His eventual winner at 17:32 was headed in off a perfect corner kick by junior midfielder OMAR ALI (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), and junior center midfielder JOHAN GONZALEZ (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) set up the second goal at 37:08.
Junior forward CHRIS ROSENTHAL (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) made it 3-0 just over two minutes later when he angled a blast for his ninth goal of the year, with an assist from junior defender CARLOS GRACA (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) at 39:14.
The goal for Rosenthal gave him a team best 21 points this season in eight games. The junior striker ranks among the national scoring leaders, and has notched at least one goal in 12 of NJCU’s last 13 games dating to last season. He alone uncorked 9 of NJCU’s 23 first half shots. He did not play the second half.
Freshman forward ALLAN FLORES (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson), who scored the game-winner on Wednesday when NJCU shutout SUNY-Old Westbury, 2-0, added his second goal of the year at 58:54, when he stole a pass from the Hawks defense and went in on an unassisted breakaway.
The Knights then caught scoring fire, netting six goals in 12:25 of action. Sophomore midfielder COURTNEY McGREGOR (Irvington, NJ/Frank H. Morrell Campus) scored his first goal of the year from the left wing on a thru-ball assist from Modzelewski for a 5-0 lead.
At 67:20, two former All-Middlesex County standouts combined for their first collegiate points, as Jensen tapped in his first collegiate goal off a pass from freshman defender MIKE McCORMICK (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick).
Zuniga tapped in a pass from freshman forward JULIO GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) at 68:35 for his second goal of the year and a 7-0 score, and sophomore midfielder JUAN VERA (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) made it 8-0 just 16 seconds later when Modzelewski fed a ball into the box at 68:51.
Ruiz headed in his second goal of the year at 70:34 on a beautiful cross from the right corner by Jensen, and Zuniga capped the scoring at 73:08, when he rifled in a rebound of an initial Ruiz shot that was saved by Hunter.
Senior goalkeeper BABA GUISSE (Jersey City, NJ/Lycee Eugene Delacroix, France) registered his 16th career shutout and his fourth of the season without needing to make a save. He is now two shutouts shy of matching the record of 18 set by JEFF EAST, the younger brother of head coach Kevin East in a three-year career from 1998-2000.
Despite the final outcome, Hunter received outstanding goalkeeping and 11 saves from sophomore Ricardo Mesquita (Queens, NJ/Martin Van Buren), including several magnificent shots to smother what would have otherwise been goals.
NJCU returns to action on Monday, September 27 with a 3:15 pm road game against John Jay College at New York City’s Riverbank State Park.
