BOX SCORE
JERSEY CITY, NJ…Sophomore forward JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) scored four more goals to give her 16 in five games this season and 40 in 23 career contests, and New Jersey City University equaled the single-game school record with 51 shots as the Gothic Knights remained undefeated and kept the best start to a season in program history alive with a 6-1 victory over Medgar Evers College on Saturday afternoon at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. It was the 2008 home opener for NJCU.
The Gothic Knights improve to 5-0-0 overall for the first time in its history while the Cougars fall to 0-4-0. NJCU has outscored its opponents 26-6 overall this year. NJCU also defeated MEC on September 6 during the Scarlet Raider Women's Soccer Classic, 10-1. NJCU leads the all-time series, 6-0, with a 34-5 goals differential.
As a team, NJCU outshot the Cougars, 51-8, including a 27-1 margin in the second half, tying the single-game school record of 51 shots set against Lincoln University on November 6, 2004.
Albuja, the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Region Player of the Week scored the first, third, fourth and fifth goals for NJCU before leaving the game with her fourth hat trick of the season and seventh in her sensational 23-game career, while notching her 12th career multiple-goal effort. Albuja alone had 15 of NJCU's 51 shots—including eight on goal. It was the third time in her career and second game this season, in which she has attempted at least 15 shots, and was one shy of matching her own single-game school record.
Now with 40 career goals, she trails only former men's All-American Chris Rosenthal who scored 51 goals from 2003-05, for most among a men's or women's player in school history. Albuja increased her career points total to 86 (40 goals, six assists) and needs six more to equal the women's career record of 92 points set by current assistant coach KATIE FEEHAN (Manasquan, NJ) in a four-year career from 2004-07.
Freshman forward NICOLE SARICA (Linden, NJ/Linden) scored her second game-winning goal of her young career to give her six already in her rookie season and added her fourth assist, while sophomore forward JUANITA SARRIA (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) concluded the scoring with her second goal of the year.
Senior center midfielder MEGAN MURPHY (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) contributed two assists, giving her three on the season, as her feeds led to the second and third goals for the Knights. Freshmen midfielders ABBY PALMATEER (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville (NY)) and KRISTINE VINELES (Union, NJ/Union) each registered the first assists of their careers.
In defeat, MEC freshman goalkeeper Jasmine Rodriguez (Brooklyn, NY/W. Brooklyn Community) played very well in net, making 26 saves against 32 NJCU shots placed on goal. NJCU also hit the crossbar four times.
Freshman midfielder Kerissa Harris (Brooklyn, NY/Samuel J. Tilden) scored the lone goal for the Cougars to give them a 1-0 lead 12:43 into the game, as she received a thru ball from the deep left wing from freshman forward Shakera Ho-Sang (Brooklyn, NY/Prospect Heights) and scored on a 1-on-1 breakaway. It was her first goal of the season.
The lead held for nearly 20 minutes until Albuja received a pass in the box which she fired off a defender. She made a move to regain the rebound, before stuffing it inside the left post. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime despite a 24-7 edge in shots for the Knights.
It remained tied until 59:24 when Murphy sent a cross from the right wing onto the left wing to Sarica who beat Rodriguez with an angled shot to the right post, for a 2-1 lead.
From there, the scoring onslaught came quickly as the Knights scored three goals in a span of 1:52, including two by Albuja in 32 seconds.
At 61:44, Murphy slipped a thru ball up the middle from midfield, sending Albuja in on a 1-on-1 breakaway which she finished with a chip inside the left post. Then at 62:16, Albuja netted a beautiful header inside the goalmouth off a Sarica cross from the left endline.
Albuja capped another brilliant effort with a tally at 71:01. Palmateer slid a thru ball up the middle to create another 1-on-1 breakaway, knocking a shot inside the right post. Sarria capped the scoring at 78:47 as she chipped a shot over Rodriguez after a Vineles thru ball onto the top of the box enabled another 1-on-1 situation.
NJCU sophomore keeper KELLY REILLY (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial) made fives saves to gain her 12th career win, playing 65:05. Junior keeper DANIELLE BARKER (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) did not face a shot in 24:55 of net time.
NJCU will seek a 6-0-0 start to the season on Tuesday, September 16 at 5 p.m. when it hosts Maritime College (NY) at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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NJCU
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Medgar Evers
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Score
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6
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1
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Halftime
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1
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1
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Shots
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51
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8
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Shots On Goal
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32
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6
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Saves
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5
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26
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Corner Kicks
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7
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4
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Fouls
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5
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9
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Offsides
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2
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4
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Caution Cards
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0
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0
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