SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY (Michael Cedeno)

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 1-0 at the half before William Paterson University bounced back to tie the game in the 59^th minute and scored the game-winner with a man down in the 87^th frame as the Pioneers edged NJCU, 2-1, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season finale for both schools on October 29 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
WP (9-7-2, 4-4-1 NJAC) wins its third straight and jumps in the NJAC standings to 13 points. If Richard Stockton College loses at home against Rutgers University-Camden or Rowan University falls or draws at The College of New Jersey in October 29 night games, the Pioneers will qualify for the six-team NJAC Tournament. Should both Stockton and Rowan win, WP will be eliminated.
 
It was the 13^th time in 20 games this year NJCU's outcome has been decided by a goal or less and the Gothic Knights lost their eighth one-goal game of the season. Despite allowing more than three goals in a game just once all year, NJCU's 56^th season of intercollegiate soccer ends at 1-15-4 (0-8-1 NJAC, winless 17).
 
All-NJAC junior midfielder Aboubacar Diawara (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) tallied his fifth goal of the season at the 20:57 mark of the opening half. WP senior Marcus Hackett (Montclair, NJ/Immaculate Conception) netted his ninth and 10^th goals of the season with junior midfielder Juan Sebastian Londono (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) assisting on the winner. Hackett finished with 10 shots in the game (four on goal).
 
Junior goalkeeper Tyler Krychkowski (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) made eight saves to keep NJCU in the contest while being outshot, 28-8, including 13-2 in the second half. WP sophomore keeper Mike Diacheysn (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) made one save in the win.
 NJCU had four of the first five shots of the game in the opening 11 minutes before the Pioneers began dominating attack opportunities. WP notched 27 of the final 31 shots of the game.
 
NJCU had its chances early, and the Knights got on the board at 20:57. WP junior back Aken Pierre (North Plainfield, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) lost possession of the ball on the left side of the box on a challenge by Diawara and trying to recover while lying on the turf, stuck out his leg. Subsequently, Diawara was tripped up from behind, was awarded a clear penalty kick and buried a shot into the left side of the net.
 
WP had its own chances in the first half. In the 14^th minute, Krychkowski made a great one-handed save of a header by senior forward Omar Jallow (Union City, NJ/Union City), reaching behind him to keep the ball out of the net. Krychkowski later made a terrific kick save of a shot by Hackett in the 33^rd minute, backpedaling towards the goal on the right wing after a defensive giveaway. Despite being outshot 15-6 in the first half, NJCU led at the break.
 
But the Pioneers capitalized on an NJCU mistake at 58:20. After a trip in the box by an NJCU defender at nearly the same spot on the pitch as the call against Pierre in the first half, Hackett was awarded a penalty kick. A slow, methodical approach to the net forced Krychkowski to go to his left and Hackett hit a well-placed shot into the opposite, near-side corner to even the game.
 
Krychkowski made a diving save in the 67^th minute, and then kept a near own-goal out of the net on a mishit ball back to the keeper, heading it out of play in the 71^st frame.
 
When Jallow was issued a red card in the 79^th minute for a dangerous foul—his second card of the game—the Pioneers were forced to play a man down the final 11:51 but NJCU could only get one shot off the remainder of the game.
 
WP had several more scoring chances—a cross from the near left endline in the 82^nd minute that went wide and a shot later in the minute by junior midfielder Mike Conte (Franklin, NJ/Wallkill Valley Regional) was alertly tipped over the crossbar by Krychkowski.
 
But Krychkowski had no chance to stop the winner at 86:41. Londono dribbled through several defenders on the far right wing as the defense was trying to avoid another tripping foul in the box, and from the right endline sent a ball across the box which an unmarked Hackett, left unmarked from 10 yards, buried down the middle of the target.
 
QUOTES:
NJCU head coach Patrick Snyder (third season): "I'm proud of how hard the boys fought today and all season. The record is not indicative of our heart or desire."

OF NOTE:

• WPU leads the all-time series, 33-20-4, since the first meeting in 1959.
• Prior to the game NJCU honored its lone senior, co-captain Michael Cedeno (North Bergen, NJ/Memorial).
• Aken Pierre had five shots for WPU.
• NJCU was outscored this season, 36-12 on the season.
• WPU, which went to overtime eight times this season, avoided a ninth by winning by one goal for the seventh time.
• The Pioneers allowed more than two goals in a game just once all season.
• WPU had 12 corner kicks. NJCU allowed 10+ corner in a game five times during the season. However, opponents scored just one goal off of a corner kick all season.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The 2015 men's soccer schedule will be announced in the early summer.