New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Freshman goalkeeper BRITTANY HOFFMAN (McMurray, PA/Peters Township) made a career-high 12 saves, including a number of highlight-reel caliber stops and New Jersey City University and Rowan University played a scoreless first 59 minutes before the Profs struck twice and shutout the host Gothic Knights, 2-0, in a makeup New Jersey Athletic Conference women's soccer game on Tuesday at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
Rowan, ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Division III South Atlantic Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, wins its eighth consecutive game and moved into a first-place tie in the NJAC standings while improving to 10-3 and 6-0 in the league. After a 9-0-0 start to the season, NJCU falls to 12-5 and 3-3 in the league. The Knights are in fifth place. NJCU suffered only its second loss in nine home games this year.
 
Rowan and NJCU were even on shots, 20-20, but the Profs put 14 of their attempts on goal, while NJCU had four shots on goal. Rowan was whistled for 10 offsides. The Profs lead the all-time series, 14-0. The game was a makeup of a September 24 postponement.
 
Hoffman reached double figures in saves for the third time in her career and second game in a row, smothering eight of her career-high 12 shots in the scoreless first half, including several on breakaways. Rowan junior keeper Lyndsie Bernardini (Elmer, NJ/A.P. Schalick) made four saves to record her fifth shutout of the season.
 
Rowan freshman forward Erika Suhl (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) scored both goals for the Profs in the 60^th and 67^th minutes for her second and third tallies of the season. Senior forward Veronica Rhea (Pennsauken, NJ/Paul VI) assisted on the game winner—her fourth helper of the season—while junior midfielder Nina Fragoso (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) provided her team-best sixth assist on the insurance goal.
 
Rhea put the Profs on the board at the 59:06 mark as Rhea dished a thru ball up the middle of the field and onto the feet of Suhl, who beat Hoffman with a 1-on-1 high shot in the middle of the box.
 
At the 66:49 mark, Fragoso slipped a long feed on the ground from the left sideline to Suhl, who dribbled onto the left wing and scored left in another 1-on-1 breakaway.
 
Suhl finished with a game-high seven shots, including five on goal, while sophomore midfielder Dayna Sakalsky (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) had six shots (three on goal). Senior striker JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) and sophomore center midfielder BRIANNA TAYLOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) each had six shots (one on goal) for NJCU.
 
Hoffman's first beautiful save came at the 25:25 mark when she stopped a shot by Suhl with an outstretched left arm, preventing a goal inside the right post from the left wing. At the 40:01 mark freshman midfielder Jess Durnian (Brock, NJ/Brick Township) controlled a giveaway in front of the goal but Hoffman made a great diving save towards the right post to keep it scoreless. At the 41:08 mark, Hoffman made a leaping save on a shot by senior defender Leah Carney (Mickleton, NJ/Kingsway Regional). Hoffman set aside a shot by Sakalsky in the 73^rd minute, snatching a breakaway shot in the box from midair.
 
NJCU had several dangerous scoring chances in the second half. The best came at the 56:08 mark with the game still scoreless when senior striker JULIA CASERES (Union, NJ/Union), the reigning NJAC Offensive Player of the Week, made a beautiful spin move on the left side of the box and narrowly missed a shot wide of the right post. In the 61^st minute, senior midfielder MARGIE ALFANO (Randolph, NJ/West Orange) was all alone on the left side of the box but missed a potential game-tying shot left.
 
NJCU travels to #14 ranked The College of New Jersey for an NJAC game on Saturday, October 22 at 11 a.m. while Rowan hosts Kean University in a non-conference game that day at 5 p.m.