Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...Junior forward JULIA CASERES (Union, NJ/Union) notched her second consecutive hat trick and her eighth in the first 26 games of her New Jersey City University women's soccer career and sophomore midfielder GABRIELLE CLARKE (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens) collected two assists on crosses as the Gothic Knights blanked Mount Saint Mary College (NY), 3-0, in the opening round of the NJCU Liberty Cup played Friday afternoon at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. NJCU outshot MSMC, 33-3, including 18-1 in the second half.
NJCU improves to 3-1 overall and has won 11 of its last 13 home games since 2008. MSMC drops to 2-2. NJCU has won five of the last six meetings in a series the Blue Knights lead, 7-6-1. Ramapo College downed SUNY Old Westbury, 11-2, in Friday's other opening round Liberty Cup game.
The stringy NJCU defense helped the hosts dominate possession and limit MSMC to two shots on goal. Junior backs ERICA BUONACQUISTA (Aberdeen, NJ/Bayonne) and MARGIE ALFANO (Randolph, NJ/West Orange) and rookie sweeper CAITLIN BOURQUE (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) played a full 90 minutes in front of junior keeper LAURA ROBINSON (Edison, NJ/Edison), who made two saves to preserve the squad's second shutout of the year.
Sophomore defender DELIA CHERNEZ (Union City, NJ/Union City) logged 64 of solid defense and the Knights, behind the play of its center midfielders, junior KATLIN VARGO (Edison, NJ/Union Catholic) and sophomore ASHLEY CUNHA (Edison, NJ/Edison) continued to push the ball up field, highlighted by six different players collecting three or more shots—as many as the entire visiting team. Sophomore midfielder CHELSEA SPETHMANN (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights-Wood Ridge) tallied her third assist of the season.
Caseres, who has scored in every game this season, notched her seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the season and became the seventh player in New Jersey Athletic Conference history to register at least 60 career goals. She now has 61 goals in 45 career games—22 at Rutgers-Newark in 2008 and 39 in 26 games with NJCU. She had eight shots and four on target. Cunha attempted seven shots.
“Everyone stuck to the game plan, we got touches on the ball and worked as a cohesive unit where everyone supported each other,” noted fifth-year head coach ROBERT BIELAN. “It was a good win for us. I was proud of their play. We are moving in the right direction. [With two starters injured and out of the lineup], hopefully everyone gets healthy soon and we'll have our full starting compliment on the field.”
In defeat for MSMC, senior keeper Megan Cotta (Brick, NJ/St. Rose) made eight saves, including stops on three different breakaway chances.
Caseres gave NJCU a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first half as Clarke drove up the near left wing and centered a cross to the far post. Caseres lunged towards the ball, sticking a beautiful header inside the right post. NJCU outshot the Blue Knights 15-2 in the first half and held a 1-0 lead at the break.
Just over eight minutes into the second half, Caseres gave NJCU an insurance marker. Spethmann launched a throw-in from the right sideline into the box and Caseres slid to tuck a shot from the right wing into the left side of the target at 53:12. The goal was the 60th of her career, joining teammate and junior striker JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) and five players on the NJAC's all-time goals list.
In a near identical set-up as the first goal, Caseres and Clarke teamed to extend the lead to 3-0 at 67:32. Clarke beat a defender on the right endline, aired a cross to the left post where Caseres headed home her third goal of the game.
On day two of the Liberty Cup, Ramapo meets MSMC at 12 p.m. followed by NJCU and Old Westbury at 3:30 p.m. Should NJCU and Ramapo both complete the tournament with 2-0 records, the first tie-breaker is fewest goals against, a category the Knights currently hold the advantage in after the 3-0 shutout. Goal differential and total goals scored are the second and third tie-breakers, if necessary.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
GAME NOTES:
|
- Shutout is 42nd in school history.
- JULIA CASERES is still fifth in NJAC history with 146 points (61 goals, 25 assists). The only players with more than 61 career goals are: Noelle Meeke of Kean University (69 goals, 1995-97), Amanda Kurdyla of William Paterson University (66 goals, 2005-08) and Amy Gordon of Ramapo (63 goals, 1998-01).
|
|
Team Stat Comparison
|
|
|
NJCU
|
MSMC
|
|
Score
|
3
|
0
|
|
Halftime
|
1
|
0
|
|
Shots
|
33
|
3
|
|
Shots On Goal
|
11
|
2
|
|
Saves
|
2
|
8
|
|
Corner Kicks
|
5
|
2
|
|
Fouls
|
9
|
7
|
|
Offsides
|
1
|
2
|
|
Caution Cards
|
0
|
0
|
|
100 POINT WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS IN THE NEW JERSEY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (thru 09/10/2010)
|
|
RK
|
POINTS (G/A)
|
PLAYER
|
SCHOOL
|
YEARS
|
GAMES
|
|
1
|
164 (69/26)
|
Noelle Meeke
|
Kean University
|
1995-97
|
|
|
2
|
160 (63/34)
|
Amy Gordon
|
Ramapo College
|
1998-01
|
|
|
3
|
158 (61/36)
|
Aundrea Tilly
|
Richard Stockton College
|
1993-96
|
|
|
4
|
149 (66/17)
|
Amanda Kurdyla
|
William Paterson University
|
2005-08
|
|
|
5
|
146 (61/25)
|
|
New Jersey City University
(via Rutgers-Newark)
|
2008-present
|
45 #
|
|
6
|
137 (55/27)
|
Dana DiBruno
|
The College of New Jersey
|
2004-07
|
|
|
7
|
133 (57/19)
|
Maggie Findlay
|
Montclair State University
|
1997-00
|
|
|
8
|
132 (58/16)
|
Traci Tapp
|
The College of New Jersey
|
1995-98
|
|
|
9
|
130 (54/22)
|
Heather Anzivino
|
Kean University
|
2003-06
|
|
|
10t
|
129 (60/9)
|
|
New Jersey City University
|
2007-08,
2010-present
|
41
|
|
10t
|
129 (61/7)
|
Madelyn Palko
|
Kean University
|
1984-86
|
|
|
12
|
124 (55/14)619
|
Renee Harraka
|
Montclair State University
|
1992-95
|
|
|
13
|
122 (46/30)
|
Gia Rosamilia
|
The College of New Jersey
|
1999-02
|
|
|
14
|
121 (46/29/121)
|
Heather Greenwald
|
Rutgers University-Camden
|
2001-04
|
68
|
|
15
|
113 (48/17)
|
Stephanie Allocco
|
Rowan University
|
1996-99
|
|
|
16
|
108
|
Chris Roeschke
|
Richard Stockton College
|
1997-00
|
|
|
17t
|
106 (45/16)
|
Brittny Boyd
|
The College of New Jersey
|
2002-05
|
|
|
17t
|
106
|
Shannon Keelan
|
Richard Stockton College
|
1997-00
|
|
|
18t
|
105 (33/39)
|
Lynda Schuster
|
The College of New Jersey
|
2000, 2002-04
|
|
|
18t
|
105 (41/25)
|
Meg Renna
|
William Paterson University
|
1996-00
|
|
|
20
|
104
|
Kari Devine
|
Richard Stockton College
|
2002-05
|
|
|
21t
|
100 (40/20)
|
Nicole Anderson
|
Kean University
|
1989-92
|
|
|
21t
|
100 (38/24/100)
|
Jacci Giannone
|
Rutgers University-Camden
|
2002-04
|
58
|
|
* Meeke reached 100 points in 25 games. Albuja reached 100 points in 33 games.
* Rutgers-Newark does not have a 100-point scorer
# Caseres scored 22 goals, 8 assists and 52 points for Rutgers-Newark in 2008; transferred to NJCU in 2009 where she scored 30 goals, 13 assists and 73 points.
|
