New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights feature, TYLER KRYCHKOWSKI

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In the first-ever home night soccer game played in school history, New Jersey City University clung to a one-goal lead before scoring twice in a span of 31 seconds in the 89^th minute as the Gothic Knights cemented a 4-1 non-conference men's soccer victory over Maritime College on October 22 at the Caven Point Complex.
 
In front of an energetic crowd, NJCU (7-8-1) outshot Maritime (5-9-2), 25-14, including 16-6 in the second half in just the second-ever meeting between the schools. Four different players scored for the Gothic Knights in a game that was even, 1-1, at halftime.
 
After Maritime scored in the 9^th minute for a 1-0 lead, junior center midfielder KELVIN FLORES (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown) tied it in the 14^th minute and junior center midfielder MARCO AVELLA (Union, NJ/Union) put NJCU in front in the 51^st.
 
NJCU would score the final four goals of the game as rookie midfielder DAVAUNI BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark Tech) netted his second career goal in the 89^th minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder ABOUBACAR DIAWARA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) before the tandem teamed up just moments later with Diawara putting away his team-best ninth goal of the season off a Brown thru ball.
 
The two 89^th minute insurance goals by Brown and Diawara proved to be the fourth fastest consecutive goals in known school history. Earlier this year, Diawara had been part of a two-goal sequence which at the time held the No. 4 ranking in program history.
 
The Gothic Knights used a mixture of first and second-team players in the victory, with a number of starters out with injuries.
 
"It took us a little while to get things sorted out but I thought in the second half we played a much better brand of soccer," noted second-year head coach Patrick Snyder about his new-look lineup for this game. "We figured out how to attack them. We have to give them a lot of credit. Maritime was a very organized group and they're good at what they do."
 
Discussing the atmosphere of the first-ever home night game, with the contest played across town at Caven Point, rather than the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field, Snyder added: "I thought it was a lot of fun. It was good to see some of the parents who can't always make it [during the day]. It was an enjoyable experience to get out under the lights for a home event instead of being on the road for other people's night games. Special thanks to the Jersey City Recreation Department for working with us to host the event."
 
Rookie goalkeeper NICK NARDONE (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace) made his sixth career start, stopping five shots. Patrick Kelleher made three first-half saves before Phil Marks played the second half, making three stops against three goals in defeat for the Privateers.
 
The two schools played an even first half with NJCU owning just a one-shot advantage (9-8) and Maritime struck first at the 8:50 mark when Renato Chira-Farfan settled an attempted clear by the Gothic Knight defense and found the left side of the net from 15 yards for a 1-0 lead and his third goal of the year.
 
NJCU needed less than five minutes to find the equalizer. After Maritime failed to clear an Avella corner kick, Flores collected a loose ball and blasted a shot into the top right corner at 13:38. It was his third score of the year and the second straight game he has found the net.
 
The Knights had a great scoring chance in the 31^st minute. After Flores rang a shot off the crossbar, Diawara had a rebound look inside the six but put his header chance high.
 
Diawara finished with a game-high seven shots, putting four on goal, while junior forward ANDY CABAN (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) had five shots and Brown added four more.
 
NJCU would tie the game on its first official shot of the second half. Avella collected a ball on the far right sideline and connected on his fourth goal of the season, beating the diving goalkeeper at 50:29.  It was the third straight unassisted goal of the game.
 
Maritime's best chance to tie it came in the 69^th minute but the Privateers missed an empty net off a free kick. NJCU also had two goals negated in the second half by offsides whistles.
 
The Knights began really putting late pressure on the Privateers. At 87:03, Diawara rifled a shot at the net which Kelleher tipped up and over the crossbar.
 
Finally, that pressure paid off. Caban put a shot on goal that Kelleher stopped. Diawara directed the first rebound into the box and on NJCU's third shot, Brown knocked the ball into the open net from eight yards away at 88:12, with Diawara getting credit for his third assist of the season (back-to-back games with a helper).
 
Just 31 seconds later, Brown returned the favor, slipping a thru ball to the right side of the box for an easy finish by Diawara at 88:43, who collected his 20^th and 21^st points of the season. The assist was Brown's second as NJCU sealed the 4-1 win.
 
The Knights are back on the pitch for the final home game of the 2013 season on Saturday, October 26 at 2 p.m. when NJCU hosts The College of New Jersey in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. It will be Senior Day and NJCU will honor All-NJAC and All-Region standout MOHAMED CONTEH (Trenton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North).