New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights, ANDREW CARVALHOSO

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore midfielder ABOUBACAR DIAWARA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) netted the first two goals for New Jersey City University before freshman midfielder JON-CARLOS SOSA (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) added the first two markers of his collegiate career as NJCU rediscovered the win column, sailing past St. Joseph's College (LI), 6-2, in a Columbus Day non-conference matinee on October 14.
 
NJCU (6-6-1) is back at .500 after being winless (0-2-1) in its last three games. NJCU matched the most goals allowed by St. Joseph's (2-11-2), the defending Skyline Conference champions, this season. NJCU outshot the Golden Eagles, 27-16 and had a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks, in a game in which 23 Gothic Knights saw the field. SJC used 25 players in the setback.
 
After falling by the same 6-2 score at Rowan University two days earlier, NJCU led 2-1 at halftime and 3-1 in the 58^th minute  before its reserves added a trio of insurance tallies.

Diawara netted his seventh and eighth goals of the season in the 20^th and 36^th minutes and junior back EDWIN UMANZOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) knocked in his third career goal—all this season—for the eventual winner at 57:28.
 
Freshman midfielder JUSTIN APONTE (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) contributed his second goal of the season in the 66^th minute before Sosa, who had played just 28 minutes in three games entering the action, made the most of his 15 minutes on the pitch, putting away his first collegiate points in the 82^nd and 88^th minutes.
 
Five different Gothic Knights tallied assists in the victory: junior midfielder MANNY MARTIS (Union, NJ/Union) and senior back MOHAMED CONTEH (Trenton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North) each chalked up their fifth assists of the season and junior center midfielder KELVIN FLORES (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown) dished his third helper. Sophomore DANIEL SEQUEIRA (South River, NJ/South River) and freshman defender KEVIN CAVALCANTI (Teaneck, NJ/Paramus Catholic) collected their first assists.
 
SJC senior back Terrence Dzus (Central Islip, NY/Islip) scored both Eagles goals—his third and fourth of the year—and the two markers in the 31^st and 85^th minutes each were each courtesy of headers. Sophomore midfielder Gaetano Innamorato (West Babylon, NJ/West Babylon) and junior back Adam Friel (Bayport, NY/Bayport-Blue Point) registered assists for the Eagles.
 
Freshman goalkeeper NICK NARDONE (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) made seven saves in the win for NJCU. Freshman Avery Gomez (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) had five stops and sophomore defender Korey Robinson (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown-East) had a defensive team save.
 
NJCU struck first at 19:28. After a ball was played into the box, Martis slipped a pass to Diawara 10 yards from the left post before he powered home a shot for a 1-0 lead.
 
SJC tied it early in the 31^st minute as Innamorato lofted a corner kick from the right endline into the box where a leaping Dzus used his 6-foot-0 frame for a perfect header inside the near left post at 30:07.
 
But NJCU got the go-ahead goal less than five minutes later as Flores cleared the defense with a long ball onto the feet of Diawara, who sidestepped the opposing keeper, took a few dribbles and knocked an uncontested shot into the net at 35:02 for a 2-1 advantage. NJCU had a 16-8 margin in first half shots and led, 2-1.
 
NJCU began to pull away midway through the second half. At 57:28, Conteh floated a ball over the defense to create a breakaway for Umanzor, who pushed up from the back, beat the keeper 1-v-1, and tapped a shot inside the left post.
 
At exactly 65:00, Sequeira played a thru ball from the right endline to a wide-open Aponte near the six, for a short one-touch into the target. The assist was Sequeira's first in two seasons.
 
Sosa added the fifth and sixth goals. The first, at 81:43, was unassisted, after a throw-in got loose in the box, he poked home a shot from inside the six. Sosa's second goal was created at exactly 87:00 when Cavalcanti slipped a thru ball from the right endline to Sosa, who uncorked an eight-yard shot for a 6-2 margin. The assist was Cavalcanti's first collegiate point. The Eagles did score at 84:05 when Dzus found the right corner of the net on a header from the far left side of the box, coming off a free kick by Friel along the right wing.
 
In all, 14 NJCU players had a shot with Diawara and freshman midfielder DAVAUNI BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark Tech) each collecting a team-high four. Eight Gothic Knights totaled multiple shots.
 
NJCU will return to action on Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. when it faces rival Rutgers-Newark in a vitally important New Jersey Athletic Conference game at Alumni Field.