New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE

MONTCLAIR, NJ…Sophomore forward TRAVIS MCKOY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) gave New Jersey City University a 1-0 lead in the 51^st minute, but nationally #3 ranked Montclair State University rallied to score twice and the Red Hawk defense prevented the Gothic Knights from tying it, as MSU defeated NJCU, 2-1, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and regular season finale for both schools on a cold Wednesday night at Sprague Field.

MSU finished the regular season undefeated at 18-0-0 and concluded the NJAC schedule with a 9-0-0 record for the second time in three years. The Hawks, the two-time defending conference champions, will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NJAC Tournament and receive a bye into the semifinals. MSU leads the all-time series, 42-10-3 and has won the last three meetings—all by one goal margins.

NJCU (10-5-2, 4-4-1 NJAC), drops its second straight and with the loss falls into the sixth seed in the six-team NJAC Tournament. The Knights will face Rutgers University-Camden, the third seed, for the second time in seven days when the clubs meet in the NJAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, November 1 at 6 p.m. in Camden, NJ. NJCU dropped a 3-0 decision at Rutgers on Sunday, October 26.

NJCU was seeking to defeat its highest ranked opponent in school history. MSU entered as the #3 ranked team in Division III by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Red Hawks recorded just the sixth undefeated regular season in any sport in MSU history, joining four football squads (1947, 1960, 1964, 1982) and the 1989 men's lacrosse team as the only teams to go through their schedule without a loss.

With NJCU leading 1-0, MSU sophomore defender Thomas Benack (Sparta, NJ/Lenape Valley) scored the tying goal and then assisted on the game-winning tally when junior Joseph Cullen (Clementon, NJ/Highland)scored with 18:10 remaining.

In what would be another outstanding match between two of the league's most successful teams over the last several seasons, MSU and NJCU played through a scoreless first half. The Knights outshot Montclair, 5-3 in the opening 45 minutes, but Red Hawks senior goalkeeper Nick Mele (Delran, NJ/Delran) made three saves, including two early stops against senior midfielder EDISON BILBAO (Carteret, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep).

Meanwhile NJCU sophomore keeper ANDRE VIOLA (Clifton, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional (Montvale) helped keep Montclair off the board with one save while junior midfielder JOHN BERNAL (Totowa, NJ/Inem (Medellin, Colombia) came up with a huge team save at the 22:56 mark.

In the second half, Mckoy would get the Knights on the board with his eighth goal of the season off an assist from

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But that lead would last just seven minutes as Benack banged home a header at 58:06 from junior midfielder John Esposito (Hillside, NJ/Hillside)for his second goal of the year and a 1-1 tie with 31:54 to play.

                
Each team would get off a shot over the next 13 minutes before Montclair would come up with the game-winner. Benack set up Cullen for his fourth game-winning goal of the season and his sixth overall goal at the 71:50, sliding a pass onto the near right wing. There, Cullen ripped a shot on a sharp angle just inside the left post.

Moments after the go-ahead goal, NJCU would get a solid chance, before Mele denied a dangerous shot from senior forward CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ / Harrison), one of four saves by Mele in the contest. Viola finished with two saves and NJCU added a pair of team saves as MSU led the final shots count, 9-8, and had seven corner kicks.