BOX SCORE
JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University senior midfielder
CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) notched his 10
th goal of the season to tie the game after Rowan University got on the board with an own goal, before a diving header by junior midfielder
JOHN BERNAL (Totowa, NJ/Inem (Medellin, Colombia) put the Gothic Knights in front to stay in the 39
th minute as #23 NJCU recorded its 10
th win of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Profs, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game on Saturday
at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
In a physical game in which 55 fouls and seven cards were issued, a red card by Rowan and an ensuing incident led to the termination of the contest with 28.8 seconds left.
With the win, NJCU, ranked 23rd nationally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and third in the NCAA Metro Region, improves to 10-3-2 and 4-1-1 in the league, while defeating the Profs (6-8-3, 1-5-1 NJAC) for the fourth straight meeting. Rowan still leads the all-time series, 33-14-4. With the win, NJCU reached double figures in victories for the ninth consecutive season and 11th time in the 50-year history of the program.
Before Rowan had its first shot of the game, the Profs grabbed a 1-0 lead thanks to an own goal. NJCU senior defender
GONZALO DAPIA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), starting at sweeper, attempted to clear the ball out of the defensive zone. However, the ball went backwards and over the head of sophomore keeper
ANDRE VIOLA (Clifton, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional (Montvale), giving the Profs a 1-0 lead at 2:40.
Dapia, who later redeemed himself with the game-winning assist, had a crucial team save at 11:01 to clear a shot from sophomore midfielder Andrew Ocbo (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) off the line after the initial header by sophomore defender Randy Kohr (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit the crossbar.
NJCU, which outshot the Profs, 14-10 overall and 10-3 in the first half, evened it at 25:52. Sophomore
midfielder
EDUARDO TEJADA (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) delivered a thru ball onto the left wing to
Acuna, who dribbled past one defender and angled a shot from near the left endline inside the left post for his 10
th goal of the year and 35
th of his career. The assist was the second for
Tejada.
While striking crossbars and posts cost NJCU on Wednesday in a loss to William Paterson University, a shot off the bar helped the Knights gain the lead for good. Off a corner kick, Dapia'sheader ricocheted off the crossbar. With the rebound suspended in mid-air, Bernal dove head-first into the goalmouth, knocking home the eventual game-winner at 38:54. It was his second goal of the season, and both have been game-winners.
There would be no scoring the remainder of the game. Rowan outshot NJCU 7-4 in the second half. NJCU had two breakaway opportunities broken up in the second half with a chance to extend the lead. Sophomore keeper Charlie Cunliffe (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) stopped one of the breakaways in the 82nd minute, finishing with seven saves. Viola had one stop to preserve the win.
NJCU is back in action on Wednesday, October 22 at 3 p.m. when it hosts Rutgers-Newark in a make-up NJAC game. It will be Senior Day at NJCU, as the Knights honor their nine seniors. Rowan will host New York University at 7 p.m. on October 22.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
Team Stat Comparison
|
|
|
NJCU
|
Rowan
|
|
Score
|
2
|
1
|
|
Halftime
|
2
|
1
|
|
Shots
|
14
|
10
|
|
Shots On Goal
|
9
|
3
|
|
Saves
|
2
|
7
|
|
Corner Kicks
|
7
|
1
|
|
Fouls
|
29
|
26
|
|
Offsides
|
5
|
1
|
|
Caution Cards
|
3
|
4
|
