JERSEY CITY, NJ…Rowan University received a hat trick from sophomore midfielder Aimee Yerkes (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) and outshot New Jersey City University, 39-3, en route to a 4-0 victory in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women’s soccer game at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
Rowan, playing its first conference game of the season, remains perfect on the year, improving to 7-0-0 and 1-0-0 in the NJAC. The Gothic Knights (1-5-0, 0-2-0 NJAC) lost their fifth straight.
Rowan leads the all-time series, 8-0. The Profs have outscored its seven opponents this season, 30-2, with five shutouts in its last six games.
In defeat, sophomore goalkeeper
ADRIELE DaSILVA (Newark, NJ/Newark-East Side) was exceptional in net for the Knights, stopping 15 shots, including several diving saves to thwart what appeared to be certain goals.
However Rowan scored three times in the first half, outshooting NJCU in the period, 24-0.
Yerkes scored her second, third, and fourth goals of the season, while freshman midfielder Devon Marx (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) added her fourth goal of the year.
Sophomore midfielder Kerry Little (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Boro), junior midfielder Jamie Weist (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape Regional), junior midfielder Shannon Phillips (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape), and freshman midfielder Amanda Silvesti (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township) each added assists for the Profs.
Yerkes scored what proved to be the game-winner at 16:40, as a thru ball from Little created a 1-on-1 breakaway, which Yerkes blasted over the NJCU keeper. It was her third assist of the year.
Yerkes padded the lead at 23:17, as Weist’s thru ball onto the right wing, allowed Yerkes to rifle a shot a step inside the box. The helper was the third of the season for Weist.
Phillips opened the Profs up at 37:02 with her second assist of the season, which Marx knocked inside the left post for a 3-0 halftime advantage.
Yerkes scored the final goal of the contest 1:16 into the second period, as Silvesti opened her for a blast from the right wing at 46:16. The assist was Silvesti’s third overall.
Yerkes, Little, and junior forward Karen Patruno (Somerdale, NJ/Paul VI) each tallied six shots for Rowan.
Junior goalkeeper Gabrielle Ditchey (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) played the first 45 minutes, improving to 7-0 for the Profs. Freshman Alicia Mannino (Fairless Hills, PA/Conwell-Egan), freshman Jayme Gatti (Delran, NJ/Delran), and freshman Melissa Hall (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) each saw second half action in goal for Rowan. Hall made one save.
NJCU returns to action on Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30 pm with a night NJAC contest at Kean University. Rowan hosts Manhattanville College in a non-conference game at 7pm on Monday, September 19.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
