JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | For the third year in a row, New Jersey City University and New York University played a nail-biter of a non-conference men's soccer contest and for the third year in a row the outcome was decided by a goal or less.
 
The two sides played more than 73 minutes of scoreless soccer before Petter Aasa (Umea, Sweden) found Tommy Walters (St. Louis, MO) unmarked with a cross inside the six and the 74^th minute goal lifted NYU over NJCU, 1-0, in non-conference action on October 7 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
NYU, which entered the game ranked seventh in the October 7 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's East Region poll and equivalent to a No. 27 national listing in the D3soccer.com Top 25, won its fourth straight and improved to 10-1. The Violets reached double figures in wins for the second time in three years. NJCU (1-10-3) dropped its fifth straight and is winless in its last 10 outings.
 
In all it was the 10^th game this season decided by one goal or less and the sixth time NJCU has dropped a one-goal result.
 
The lone goal came at the 73:35 on the second of back-to-back throws from the near left sideline by Justin Suter (Cold Spring Harbor, NY). The second throw cleared a leaping NYU attacker and the NJCU defense, bouncing onto the far side of the six. There, Aasa won the ball, sending it into the middle of the goalmouth where Walters was waiting with an outstretched left foot to tap in a shot from three yards. It was his third tally of the season.
 
Junior converted goalkeeper Tyler Krychkowski (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) made nine saves, most of which were athletic stops or breakups of 1-on-1 situations. Lucas Doucette (San Diego, CA) made one save in recording his fourth shutout of the season and the team's fifth.
 In a game where NYU outshot NJCU, 22-15 and had a 14-6 edge in the opening period, the Knights challenged NYU in the second half when it held a 9-8 margin in the shots column. But NJCU only put one shot in goal in the game. Its best scoring chance came with 2:09 left in the first half when junior all-conference midfielder Aboubacar Diawara (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) ripped a shot from 10 yards inside the box that would have gone in, but struck a teammate inside the six.
 
Reece Barton (Laguna Beach, CA) had a game-high six shots for NYU and Bryan Walsh (Hazlet, NJ/St. John Vianney) added five to account for half of NYU's 22 attempts. Rookie Luis Cruz (Princeton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) had a team-high four shots for NJCU.
 
QUOTES:
NJCU head coach Patrick Snyder (third season): "We battled and had our chances but could not capitalize. One mistake cost us but [otherwise] the boys did a really good job [defensively]."
 
OF NOTE:

• NYU leads the all-time series, which began in 1960, 6-2-1.
• In the last three years, the series is even, 1-1-1. NJCU is 2-1-1 in the last four meetings.
• In the October 7 (poll 6) NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's East Region poll, the Violets are ranked seventh in the region. In the October 6 D3soccer.com Top 25 poll, NYU received 20 points—equivalent to a No. 27 national listing.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU plays its next three games away from Jersey City. On Saturday, October 11, the Gothic Knights face The College of New Jersey in New Jersey Athletic Conference action in Ewing, NJ at 1 p.m. On October 13, NJCU visits St. Joseph's College (LI) for a Columbus Day night game in Patchogue, NY. On Wednesday, October 15, the Knights visit Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ (3 p.m.). The next home game is Saturday, October 18 at 1 p.m. when it hosts Richard Stockton College.