MADISON, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior goalkeeper Tyler Krychkowski (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) made six saves and the New Jersey City University men's soccer team reached overtime for a program record-equaling sixth time in just the ninth game of the season as NJCU and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham played to a scoreless double overtime draw on September 20.
 
NJCU (1-5-3) snapped a five-game losing streak—with four of the setbacks by one goal and two coming in overtime—in a game where its defense was its biggest asset because its offense was not productive. FDU (2-3-3) outshot the Gothic Knights, 12-6 with half of the Devils' shots directed on goal. NJCU did not put a shot on target.
 
NJCU played its second scoreless game of the season (August 30 vs. Trine) and the 16^th 0-0 draw in program history.
 
Meanwhile, the Knights tied a 30-year-old school record with the sixth overtime game of the season. The 1984 and 1985 also squads both played six games with extra sessions.
 While most of Krychkowski's six saves—three in the second half and one each in the first half and each overtime period—were of the routine variety, he did make a few more challenging stops to register his second career shutout. He did so in front of a defensive unit anchored by sophomore backs Gabriel Freitas (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and Hector Linares (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) and rookies Juan Alvarez (Haledon, NJ/Passaic County Tech) and Mohamed Elamin (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) with junior midfielder Christopher Segovia (North Bergen, NJ/Memorial) coming back to help.
 
Tommy Asselta, an FDU defender, had a game-high four shots, putting three on goal. Goalkeeper Nick Mihalik received credit for the other half of the double shutout. FDU had an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks with five in each full half.
 
FDU outshot NJCU by a 2-1 margin in each overtime period. NJCU's most active period was the second when it attempted half of its six shots.
 
The game is the first in which NJCU did not record a shot on goal since September 6, 2009 in a 5-0 loss at then No. 24 North Carolina Wesleyan.
 
NJCU's two best scoring chances came in the 103^rd minute when sophomore midfielder Davauni Brown (Newark, NJ/Newark Tech) put a shot over the crossbar. Junior forward Aboubacar Diawara (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had two of NJCU's six opportunities, putting shots wide in the 59^th and 62^nd minutes.
 

"We defended a lot better today and possessed the ball much better," said third-year head coach Patrick Snyder. "Today was a good step in our progression, playing the way we want to play. We knew this would be a process and this was a positive step in the process."
 
"FDU didn't have many dangerous chances and I thought defensively as a team all 18 guys who played all defended very well. In particular, the back four—Hector [Linares], Juan [Alvarez], Gabe [Freitas], and Mohamed [Elamin] did a good job covering for each other when others challenged for the ball. We didn't have many opportunities but they didn't really challenge us either because of the defense."
 
NJCU will open its 2014 New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule on Wednesday, September 24 when it visits Montclair State University at 5 p.m. in Montclair, NJ.