New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Sophomore midfielder CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) scored the only goal of the game in the eighth minute, and despite being outshot 20-6, the New Jersey City University defense made that first goal stand up, as the #9 ranked Gothic Knights extended their unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games, with a 1-0 victory over Richard Stockton College, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference battle of two of the league’s titans, at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.

 

NJCU, ranked No. 9 nationally by D3Kicks.com and 20^th by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, improves to 8-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the NJAC, while Richard Stockton College falls to 8-2-1 and 2-2-1 in the league. NJCU has won 20 of its last 21 home contests and are 32-4-1 in Jersey City over the last four seasons. It is the third time in school history the Knights have been unbeaten in at least eight consecutive games. The program record is nine straight in 2003.

 

NJCU also entered the game ranked No. 3 in the Metro Region by the NSCAA, while the Ospreys were fifth. RSC still leads the all-time series, 23-5-5, but NJCU has won two straight between the clubs.

 

The only goal of the contest came at 7:21 of the first half, as Acuna—the 2004 New Jersey High School Player of the Year—gathered a pass on the deep right wing, took a few dribbles, and lobbed a high shot over Stockton sophomore keeper Matt Hart (Dayton, NJ/South Brunswick) and into the upper right corner of the net. It was Acuna’s team-best sixth goal and 18^th point of the season, exceeding his rookie season total of 16, just 10 games into the 2006 campaign.

 

From there on, Stockton controlled the game offensively, but the NJCU defense continued to surrender very few shots on goal. Only two of the Ospreys 20 shots were on goal—the fourth time this season NJCU has allowed two or fewer shots on target and the eighth time in 10 games the Knights defense has limited that number to five or less.

 

BRUCE NEVES" src="/images/msoccer/2006/9/30/09-10-06%20Bruce%20Neves%203.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>The two times Stockton did put the ball on target, junior keeper BRUCE NEVES (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) a 2005 All-Region selection, came up with huge stops. At 63:03 of the second half, freshman forward Sean McCallum (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) blasted a shot on the right wing, which Neves tipped up and out of play. At 84:53, sophomore forward Brett Ferron (Ringwood, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) had a pinpoint header that appeared to be a certain goal, but Neves was positioned perfectly, and made what proved to be a game-saving stop in the center of the net.

 

Stockton’s best chance that was not on goal came at 56:07 when junior forward Matt Lewis (Bear, DE/Glasgow) had an opportunity to put a ball into a wide open left post off a thru ball, but missed left.

Stockton had a 13-1 advantage in shots in the second half, and 6-2 margin overall on corner kicks.

Each team had two shots on goal overall. There was not an offsides called in the entire contest.

 

The shutout for Neves was his second overall this season and the team’s third. Hart made one save in defeat for RSC.

 

NJCU will return to action on Monday, October 2 at 3:30 p.m. when it hosts The College of Staten

Island in a non-conference home game. Stockton is off until Saturday, October 7 when it hosts nationally-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology.