New Jersey City University Athletics

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FINAL ECAC BRACKET/RESULTS

RIVERDALE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In the end, playing two post-season games in less than 15 hours, proved too much of a handicap for the New Jersey City University men's soccer team to overcome. The Gothic Knights led 1-0 at halftime in the 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Tournament semifinals against New Jersey Athletic Conference rival Richard Stockton College, before the Ospreys scored five goals in the second half—including the final three in a span of 70 seconds and two in a stretch of 19 seconds—as the #2 seeded Ospreys eliminated No. 3 seeded NJCU, 5-1, on November 10. The semifinal was hosted by New York University at Manhattan College's Gaelic Park.
 
NJCU's 11^th post-season appearance and first since 2008 ends as the Knights conclude the 54^th season of intercollegiate soccer with an 11-10-1 mark—the program's first winning record since that same 2008 campaign.
 
Stockton (12-7-2) won its seventh consecutive game, advancing to Sunday's ECAC title match to face fourth-seeded and host NYU; the Violets (12-7-1) scored twice in the final 3:08 of its semifinal matchup with #8 seeded College of Staten Island to survive, 2-0.
 
NJCU had defeated Stockton, 4-2 in Jersey City on September 29 in the regular season meeting between the NJAC foes. Stockton leads the all-time series, 28-7-5. It was the first meeting between the schools in the post-season since the 2005 NJAC Tournament and the fourth all-time in the playoffs; Stockton is 2-1-1 in those four games—including three NJAC Tournament matches.
 
The loss was the most lopsided post-season defeat in 26 all-time ECAC and NCAA contests. The four-goal deficit was one more than then-Jersey City State College's 3-0 loss to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the program's first-ever post-season game on November 15, 1975.
 
In defeat, sophomore midfielder ANDREW LOPES (Union, NJ/Union) scored for the second straight day and fifth time this season, finishing an assist from First-Team All-NJAC senior center midfielder EDUARDO TEJADA (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington)  in the 20^th minute. Tejada, who chalked up his 11^th assist, concluded his senior campaign with 11 goals and 33 total points.
 
NJCU was playing just hours after a twice-postponed contest against Brooklyn College on Friday night in the quarterfinal round stretched for nearly three hours, including a shootout round that ended after midnight following a 3-3 tie.
 
Stockton, which came into the game with a day to recover after its quarterfinal win over Mount Saint Mary on November 8, has now scored five goals in each ECAC game.
 
Junior All-NJAC goalkeeper SHELDON PARKINSON (New Rochelle, NY/Herbert H. Lehman (Bronx, NY) made 10 saves in 80:44 of action, including eight in the first half to preserve a shutout at the time. Rookie KEVIN FUENTES (West New York, NJ/Memorial) played the final 9:16 without a save or goal allowed; NJCU also had one team save.
 
When Stockton scored three times in 1:10 seconds at 63:06, 63:25 and 64:16 of the second half to turn a 2-1 game into a 5-1 rout, the quick outburst matched the third fastest three consecutive goals in Division III history.
 
Stockton junior forward Pat Rafferty (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) scored twice—the first and third goals for his 10^th and 11^th markers of the season—and assisted on the second goal while junior midfielder Chris Katona (Howell, NJ/Howell) netted his 15^th goal of the season and assisted on both of Rafferty's tallies.
 
Freshman forward Anthony Maruca (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) scored his second goal of the season while freshman forward Tim Sost (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) came off the bench to provide a goal and an assist. Freshman midfielder Evan Pruden (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) added one assist.
 
Stockton rookie keeper Bob Millar (Green Ridge, NJ/Allentown) made seven saves in 70:46 before being relieved by junior goalkeeper Tim Brett (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra), who stopped one shot in 19:14.
 
NJCU, still riding the wave of its seven-round shootout advancement over Brooklyn College on early Saturday morning, gained a 1-0 lead at 19:02 as Tejada slipped a pass behind the defense from the right side of the box to Lopes who finished the feed on the left post. NJCU led 1-0 at the break with eight shots in the period. Lopes led NJCU with five shots in the game—all on goal.
 
But Stockton evened the game just 1:42 in the second half. Katona, who picked up his seventh and eighth assists of the season, pushed the ball forward into the box where Rafferty touched home the game-tying tally.
 
Less than nine minutes later (55:36), Katona's put Stockton in front for good as Rafferty, who collected his sixth assist, slipped a ball ahead. Katona beat a defender in the box and finished from point blank range.
 
Any chance of a Gothic Knight comeback was silenced as Stockton scored three insurance goals in 70 seconds. Rafferty netted the first one at 63:06 as he put away a rebound of shot by Katona after it struck the left post. Just 19 seconds later Sost chipped in his first career assist, playing a ball ahead to Maruca for a 4-1 edge. Sost then added his fourth goal of the season 51 seconds later, chipping a ball over a charging Parkinson after Pruden chased down a loose ball and played it forward for his first assist.
 
The outcome was eerily similar to NJCU's 6-3 loss to The College of New Jersey on October 20 in which the Knights scored first, only to see TCNJ net six straight goals, including five in a span of nearly 20 minutes in the early second half.