New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete, RUBEN MORALES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 2-0 in the 35^th minute before Ramapo College scored the final three tallies of the game, including a pair by senior forward Dave Przybylo (Parsippany, NY/Parsippany Hills), highlighted by a golden goal marker early in the 107^th minute as the guest Roadrunners rallied for a 3-2 double overtime New Jersey Athletic Conference men's soccer victory on September 25 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
In a game that saw a combined 58 shot attempts between the clubs (NJCU led, 31-27), only 18 were put on net and two of the goals were scored due to unlucky bounces—a 20^th minute own goal that gave NJCU a 1-0 lead and a 38^th minute Ramapo penalty kick.
 
NJCU, which had a chance to pick up a critical three points in the league had it held the lead, fell to 4-4 overall (1-1 NJAC) while playing its first overtime game since the November 2012 ECAC Quarterfinals. Ramapo (4-3-1, 1-1 NJAC) was playing its fourth overtime game of the season and third in four outings. Six of its games have been decided by one goal or less.
 
NJCU sophomore midfielder TYLER KRYCHKOWSKI (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington), a defender last season, scored his first NCAA goal or points in the 35^th minute off an assist from junior midfielder ANDREW CARVALHOSO (Linden, NJ/Linden) to stake the hosts to a 2-0 lead.
 
Przybylo cashed in on a PK in the 38^th minute to make it a one-goal game at halftime before freshman forward Kevin Monaghan (Leonardo, NJ/Middletown South) netted his first collegiate goal—the 11^th different Roadrunner to score this year in eight games—off an assist from freshman defender Nick Brancato (Nutley, NJ/Nutley). Przybylo won it in the 107^th minute after winning a loose ball off a corner kick.
 
In net for NJCU, junior goalkeeper RUBEN MORALES (Princeton, NJ/Princeton), this week's NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, made eight saves in 106:11, including an incredible leaping tip with seven seconds left in regulation that forced OT. Ramapo senior Steve Monaghan (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) finished with five stops.
 
For Ramapo, 13 different players were credited with a shot. Przybylo had a game-high 10 chances with four on goal. Senior midfielder Anthony Pasciolla (Park Ridge, NJ/St. Joseph) put two of his three shots on target.
 
NJCU All-Region senior defensive midfielder MOHAMED CONTEH (Trenton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North) had the bulk of NJCU's shot totals with eight (two on goal). In all, 10 Gothic Knights had a shot. Junior forward MANNY MARTIS (Union, NJ/Union) and rookie midfielder DAVAUNI BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark Tech) each attempted four shots.
 
In a first half with unlucky bounces for both sides, Steve Monaghan made a diving save in the sixth minute off the short rebound of a shot by Martis and 71 seconds later, junior forward ANDY CABAN (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) rifled a shot off the crossbar. In the 17^th minute, Steve Monaghan uncorked a long, line-drive punt and with Morales off his line, Przybylo hit the left post. A rebound was cleared out from inside the six by rookie defender SANTIAGO LOPEZ-CORREA (North Bergen, NJ/Belleville).
 
The good fortunate bounced NJCU's way at the 19:39 mark. After a long throw in from the right sideline into the box, junior defender EDWIN UMANZOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) directed a header near the right post across the box. Sophomore midfielder ABOUBACAR DIAWARA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), NJCU's leading scorer with five goals, settled the ball and fired a shot from 10 yards on the left side of the box that would had gone wide of the right post. But NJCU settled for an own goal and a 1-0 lead when freshman defender James Merges (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South), slid feet first towards the goal. His attempt to clear the ball was directed high into the net.
 
Ramapo looked like it would tie it in the 23^rd minute when Przybylo attempted back-to-back shots from close range. But Morales thwarted the first one then made an incredible feet-first slide towards the far left post to save the second shot with his cleats. In the 28^th minute, junior midfielder Dan Boffa (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) had a shot ring off the left post and Morales, who was aggressively off his line, immediately covered the rebound.
 
NJCU would jump ahead 2-0 at the 34:10 mark. Krychkowski, who entered the game as a substitution in the 24^th minute, only to have a pair of shots blocked inside the box early in the 26^th, finally collected his first collegiate goal when he flipped a shot over the head of the Ramapo keeper into the right side of the net off a short thru ball from Carvalhoso, who picked up his first assist of the year and third of his career.
 
Ramapo was the beneficiary of an unlucky bounce in the 38^th minute when a ball in the box inadvertently caught the hand of Lopez-Correa. RCNJ was awarded a PK and Przybylo stuck a shot high into the right side of the net at 37:53.
 
Leading 2-1 at halftime with a 15-13 edge in shots, Martis hit the inside of the right post 75 seconds into the second period. Morales would stop a dangerous chance by Przybylo inside the six in the 51^st minute.
 
The game remained highly intense throughout the contest. In the 75^th minute, Ramapo would tie it (74:39) as Brancato, who claimed his first career assist, played a ball across the box and an unmarked Kevin Monaghan, with his back to the goal, slipped the ball inside the left post with a back-heeled shot.
 
Just over two minutes later RCNJ nearly gained the lead when Kevin Monaghan headed a shot within the six into the ground before Morales again smothered the chance.
 
With seven seconds left in regulation and the time being read off by the stadium announcer, junior forward Andrew Kirshteyn (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) unleashed a shot from just in front of the midfield circle that was heading towards the upper left corner and would have won the game. But Morales backpedaled, leaped, and made an incredible save, tipping the ball up and over the crossbar to force OT.
 
NJCU had a 5-1 advantage in shots in the first 10-minute overtime, but three were blocked by the RCNJ defense. Early in the 107^th minute, Przybylo quickly played a corner kick and when the ball was deflected, he won possession on the left side of the box, made one dribble and curled a golden-goal winning shot at 106:11 into the far upper right corner to win it.
 
NJCU will be idle for one week until it hosts Kean University on Wednesday, October 2 at 3 p.m.  in Jersey City.