New Jersey City University Athletics

 

MORRISTOWN, NJ…Freshman striker JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) scored three more goals to give her seven in the first two games of her collegiate career, and the effects of her offensive firepower lifted New Jersey City University to a decisive 7-0 victory over College of Saint Elizabeth, in a non-conference game on Saturday.

 

With the win, NJCU opens a season with a 2-0 record for the first time in the 15-year history of the program. NJCU has outscored its opponents 13-0 to open the season. NJCU leads the all-time series with CSE, 7-4, and has won five of the last six meetings.

 

Albuja scored the first, second and fourth goals of the game to help spark the Gothic Knights to a 2-0 halftime margin. The Knights added five second half goals, and outshot CSE, 27-12.

 

The consecutive shutouts mark the third time in program history that the Knights have blanked two straight opponents. The last time came on November 6, 2004 and September 3, 2005, at the end of the 2004 campaign and start of the 2005 season. The last time NJCU has had back-to-back shutouts in the same season was October 5 and 7, 1995.

 

Grad student midfielder KATIE FEEHAN (Manasquan, NJ/Wall) scored a goal and an assist to draw closer to program history. The goal was the 27^th of her career and moved her within one of tying Carine Carvalheiro’s program record. Meanwhile, her 72 career points are now five shy of matching that career mark.

 

NJCU also received goals from freshman forward JUANITA SARRIA (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) and sophomore forward MEAGHAN LIPYANKA (Bayonne, NJ/Holy Family Academy) and freshman defender CAITLIN LOWRY (Kearny, NJ/Kearny).

 

Junior midfielder MEGAN MURPHY (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) and freshman sweeper ASHLEY WELCH (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial) each tacked on single assists.

 

Freshman goalkeeper KELLY REILLY (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial) made three saves to record her second consecutive shutout to begin her collegiate career.

 

Albuja gave NJCU a 1-0 edge at 17:44 of the first half off a feed from Feehan, which opener her up six yards out. She needed no help on her second goal at 23:30, when she blasted a shot from 35 yards out that was unstoppable.

 

Feehan drove the length of NJCU’s half of the field on a breakaway at 48:13 of the second half for a 3-0 margin, before Albuja unleashed a breakaway of her own at 67:25.

 

Sarria’s first career goal at 69:52 was chipped in off an assist from Murphy, before Welch set up Lipyanka’s first goal as a member of the NJCU squad at 80:25. Lowry buried a penalty kick at 84:56 to complete the scoring.

 

NJCU will look for a 3-0 start to the season on Monday, September 10 at 4 p.m. when it hosts Mount Saint Mary College in its 2007 home opener at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.