New Jersey City University Athletics

 

NEWARK, NJ…Freshman midfielder CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) put New Jersey City University on top in the 23^rd minute, and sophomore forward MARCELO CARPIO (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) scored twice in 52 seconds, as the Gothic Knights won their fifth consecutive game, blanking St. Joseph’s College (LI), 4-0, in a non-conference game played against gusty winds at Newark’s Ironbound Stadium.

              

NJCU improves to 12-3 overall and has won for the 19^th time in 22 games dating to last season. St. Joseph’s falls to 5-8, with its second straight loss. NJCU leads the series, 3-1-1.

              

The shutout for NJCU is the eighth in 15 games this season. After SJC took the first two shots of the game, NJCU unleashed 26 unanswered attempts, as the Knights controlled the tempo of the game, and owned a 26-2 margin in shots.

              

NJCU is 2-0 all-time in games played at Ironbound Stadium, and have outscored opponents on the artificial turf field, 7-0. The venue was changed on Friday due to flooding at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex after a week of heavy rain.

              

Junior stopper RONNIE SANCHEZ (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) also scored for NJCU. Senior midfielder JOHAN GONZALEZ (Clifton, NJ/Clifton), sophomore defender MIKE McCORMICK (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick), freshman midfielder JONATHAN BILBAO (Newark, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep), and junior midfielder JUAN VERA (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) each added assists for the Knights.

              

Acuna gave NJCU a 1-0 lead at 22:28, when he chipped Gonzalez’ cross from the left endline inside the right post, for his third goal of the season. The assist by Gonzalez extended his career school record for helpers to 28.

              

Sanchez, who had yet to tally a point this season, bagged his fourth career goal at 26:02, as he received a cross from the deep right wing from McCormick, and nailed a one-timer from the left wing. It was McCormick’s first assist and point of the season.

              

MARCELO CARPIO" src="/images/msoccer/2005/10/16/09-11-05%20Marcelo%20Carpio%206.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>With NJCU leading 2-0, Carpio notched his seventh goal of the season at 41:48, as he netted a blast from the left wing off Bilbao’s thru ball from midfield, his fourth assist of the 2005 campaign.

              

Just 52 seconds later, Carpio gave NJCU a 4-0 lead with his eighth goal and 19^th point. Vera, who has been injured for most of the season, was credited with his first assist and point of the year, as his feed from the left endline set up Carpio for a one-timer at 42:40.

              

NJCU led 4-0 at the half, and outshot SJC, 12-2. In the second half, the Knights owned a 14-0 edge in shots. Sophomore midfielder JOHN JENSEN (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township), who finished with a team-high five shots, had a goal that curved in off of a corner kick at 73:35 waived off.

 

Sophomore keeper BRUCE NEVES (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) improved to 11-2 in net this year, and 14-3-1 in his career, making one save in the first half. Freshman keeper RAFAEL ZABALA II (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) played the second half and did not face a shot. Senior Bill Goodrich (Farmingville, NY/Sachem) made seven saves in defeat for the Golden Eagles.

 

NJCU will play its third game in three days on Monday, October 17 at 4 p.m. when it hosts York College (NY) at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field in a non-conference tilt.