New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Sophomore forward PATRICK THOMAS (Roselle, NJ/Linden) put New Jersey City University ahead just 25 seconds into the first half, and sophomore midfielder CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) provided two assists, as the Gothic Knights, ranked No. 9 in Division III, remained unbeaten in 13 consecutive games by blanking Rutgers-Newark, 2-0, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game played at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.

 

The game was played in a heavy, driving rainstorm, before the officials called the game with 9:32 remaining on the clock. A college soccer game is official after 70 minutes.

 

NJCU, ranked No. 9 nationally by D3Kicks.com and 19^th by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, improves to 13-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the NJAC—extending both its school record unbeaten streak and the best start to a season in program history.

 

With the win, NJCU ties the program record for NJAC victories in a season. The 2005 club—which later

advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16—established the mark with a 5-4 league finish.

 

NJCU also extends its home field winning streak to 13 straight. The Knights have won 23 of their last 24 home contests and own a 35-4-1 ledger in Jersey City over the last four seasons.

 

The loss for Rutgers-Newark (5-8-1, 0-6-0), snaps its three-game winning streak. NJCU leads the all-time series, 17-14-1, with its ninth consecutive win in the rivalry. NJCU is a perfect 9-0 against R-N in the career of head coach KEVIN EAST.

 

Junior goalkeeper BRUCE NEVES (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) stopped five shots to record his fifth shutout of the season and the 12^th of his career. He moved into sole possession of second place on NJCU’s career victories list with a ledger of 30-8-3. The shutout was NJCU’s seventh of the season, and the 13th time in 15 games that the Gothic Knights defense has limited an opponent to five or fewer shots on goal.

 

CRISTHIAN ACUNA" src="/images/msoccer/2006/10/11/09-13-06%20Cristhian%20Acuna%201.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>Acuna lifted his team-best assist total to 10, while notching his second multiple-assist game of the season and the fourth of his career, as he closes in on the single-season school record of 14 helpers set last season by All-American CHRIS ROSENTHAL (Kearny, NJ/Kearny). Now with 18 career assists, Acuna tied Marc Palumbo (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood) (1999-2002) for sixth place in school history.

 

Thomas put NJCU on the board 25 seconds into the game when he used a lunging header to bag a shot inside the left post off Acuna’s precise cross from the right endline. It was his fourth tally of the season and the second-fastest goal to start a game in school history—two seconds slower than the 23-second mark set by Rosenthal on October 13, 2004.

 

Sophomore midfielder GONZALO DAPIA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) gave NJCU an insurance goal at 73:19, as he fielded a chip from Acuna in the goalmouth, and headed in his sixth goal of the season. Acuna set the goal up on the left wing in a 1-on-1 breakaway against the visiting keeper.

 

For Dapia, who scored just once as a rookie in 2005, he moved into a tie for the team lead in goals, and tied for third in total points (12). He has scored a single goal in three of NJCU’s last four games.

In a game played under almost impossible field conditions, possession and scoring opportunities were limited. NJCU outshot the Scarlet Raiders, 14-8. R-N had a 5-4 margin in shots at the half, before the Knights outdistanced the Raiders in the second period, 10-3.

 

In defeat, R-N sophomore keeper Matthew Johnson (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) made three saves. The first goal he allowed ended a streak of three consecutive shutouts and a scoreless streak of 289:27.

 

NJCU will return to action on Saturday, October 14 at 2 p.m. when it visits Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ, in a contest which will decide sole possession of first place in the NJAC. The Raiders host Rowan University the same night at 7 p.m.