New Jersey City University Athletics

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CAMDEN, NJ…In the second meeting in a week between two of the top programs in the region, Rutgers University-Camden, despite being a man down against New Jersey City University for the final 52:45 of regulation and overtime and being outshot 29-9, hung on to force a 0-0 double overtime tie, before stunning the Gothic Knights in a shootout, 3-1, in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday night at Rutgers-Camden Community Park.

NJCU (10-5-3), the sixth seed, which had reached the NJAC Finals in consecutive years in 2006 and 2007 after making a semifinal appearance with the current senior class in 2005, is eliminated from the conference tournament and likely from NCAA Tournament contention, and instead will wait for a possible invite to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Tournament. 

Third-seeded Rutgers-Camden (15-3-2) remains unbeaten in its last six games (5-0-1) and will face #2 seeded and nationally 24^th ranked Richard Stockton College in the NJAC Semifinals on November 4. Camden leads the all-time series, 17-8-7 and is now 3-0-3 versus NJCU in the last six meetings.

It was the fifth time in NJCU history that a conference or post-season tournament game has resulted in a shootout and ended a two-match streak of the Knights advancing in the format. Ironically, the last shootout was a 4-1 decision at Rutgers-Camden on October 31, 2006 in the NJAC Semifinals. It was the second time this season and only the 12^th time in the 50-year history of the NJCU program that a game has ended tied 0-0. Meanwhile, it was the 194^th shutout in school history.

In all NJCU, which lost at Rutgers-Camden, 3-0, on October 26, played 200 minutes of soccer against the Raptors in a span of seven days but could not find a way to put a shot past freshman goalie Tim VanLiew (Deptford, NJ/Deptford), who was brilliant with 11 saves, as he collected his fifth straight shutout to tie the program record while extending his consecutive scoreless minutes in goal to 533:04.

NJCU sophomore keeper ANDRE VIOLA (Clifton, NJ/St. Joseph-Montvale) made five saves for a shutout of his own—his first of the year.

In a game in which five yellow cards and one red were issued, NJCU moved a man up at 57:15 of the second half when Camden senior Andrew Dorsey (Mt. Laurel, NJ/The King's Christian School)was ejected for a foul.

Even with the cards, the game was tight all the way as the defenses took over. NJCU outshot Rutgers-Camden, 22-8, in regulation and 6-0 in the second overtime and had the best scoring opportunities in the game, including several in the last 16 minutes of regulation. 

With 15:47 remaining, sophomore TRAVIS MCKOY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) hit a sideways bicycle kick off the crossbar. With eight minutes left in regulation, VanLiew made back-to-back saves on a pair of shots by senior midfielder JONATHAN BILBAO (Carteret, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) and Mckoy, before adding a great diving save at 86:15 on a shot by senior midfielder EDISON BILBAO (Carteret, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep).

In the first overtime, VanLiew robbed Mckoy with a great save at the left post at 94:59, and late in the second overtime, Raptor junior back Tom Collins (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape)broke up what appeared to be a potential game-winning breakaway opportunity for the Gothic Knights. 

In the shootout, Camden shot first and the Raptors took the shootout lead for good when junior

defender Chase Komer (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown)made his first penalty kick with a high shot to the left side of the net and NJCU's JONATHAN BILBAO hit a shot wide to the right of the net.

Both teams saw their next shooter miss, as the Raptors' sophomore midfielder Shane McGrory (Stratford, NJ/Sterling)hit the crossbar and Gothic Knights junior midfielder AWAL AHMED (Elizabeth, NJ/Linden) was denied on a save by VanLiew, capping his remarkable evening.

Both teams made their third shot with Raptors' senior defender A.J. O'Malley (Westmont, NJ/Haddon Township)and EDISON BILBAO for NJCUeach scoring to the right side, leaving Rutgers-Camden with a 2-1 lead through three rounds.

The Raptors clinched the shootout on the fourth penalty kick round as sophomore forward Turgut Kilicoglu (Edgewater Park, NJ/Burlington City) buried his shot to the right side and NJCU sophomore midfielder EDUARDO TEJADA (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) hit a shot off the crossbar, as the Raptors celebrated. The shootout evened the Raptors' all-time record at 1-1 in NJAC penalty kick tiebreakers and 2-4-2 in six trips to the NJAC playoffs. NJCU is now 4-6-3 in its NJAC tournament history.

NJCU senior forward CRISTHIAN ACUNA (East Newark, NJ / Harrison) who was 7-for-9 in penalty kicks in his four-year career, was injured on a foul late in the first half and was unavailable.