JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | A year ago Montclair State University didn't lose a game until the NCAA Division III sectional semifinals (Sweet 16) and on September 20, the Red Hawks demonstrated why the team could be poised for another post-season run in two months. Montclair, ranked No. 15/16 in the country, led 2-0 at the half before pouring on six more goals in the second without allowing a shot as MSU defeated the New Jersey City University women's soccer team, 8-0, in the 2014 New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both schools at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
Montclair (6-1-0, 1-0-0 NJAC) also posted its sixth consecutive shutout and extended its consecutive scoreless minutes streak to 559:19 since a 2-1 opening day loss to nationally ranked Johns Hopkins University. MSU, ranked No. 15 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and 16^th by D3soccer.com, outshot NJCU, 50-0, and took all nine corners in the game. MSU scored six times on 19 shots in the second half after a 31-shot offering in the first period. NJCU dropped to 3-2-1 and 0-1-0 NJAC.
 
In defeat, three-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference goalkeeper Brittany Hoffman (McMurray, PA/Peters Township) was constantly challenged under heavy pressure and made 20 saves; the Gothic Knights also had one team save. She reached double figures in saves for the 21^st time in her career, including 13 stops in the first half. Furthermore, she recorded at least 20 stops in a game for the seventh time in her career.
 
Hoffman, who only had to make 12 saves in her first five games of the season, is closing in on 500 stops for her career (484).
 For Montclair, senior forward Kaila Fasano (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) netted a hat trick for her third, fourth and fifth goals of the season as she delivered the eventual game-winning goal in the 5^th minute, scored the third goal of the game late in the 50^th minute for the first tally of the second half, and capped her day with the sixth goal of the day in the 69^th frame. She finished with seven points, adding an assist on the fourth goal in the 59^th minute.
 
Freshman forward Taylor Madison (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany Hills) scored a pair of unassisted goals in the 65^th and 71^st minutes to account for the fifth and seventh Montclair markers. It was her third and fourth tallies of the season and she also assisted on Fasano's third score.
 
Two sisters scored for MSU as freshman back Danielle Greco (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) delivered the second goal in the 33^rd minute and senior forward Melanie Greco (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) scored the final goal in the 76^th minute for her third score of the season. Sophomore forward Jennie Hornstra (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) was the other goal scorer in the 59^th minute for a 4-0 lead.
 
Junior forward Martina Landeka (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) contributed two assists for the guests. Senior midfielder Melissa Koster (Yardville, NJ/Steinert) and senior forward Francesca Gibson (Cape May, NJ/Lower Cape May Regional) chalked up assists on the first two goals in the opening 45.
 
Senior goalkeeper Gina Policastro (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) played the first 75:19 in net and sophomore Alyson Burns (Mahwah, NJ/Mahwah) wrapped up the final 14:41. Neither faced a shot in the combined shutout.
 
NJCU heads to Albany, NY on Thursday, September 25 at 8:15 p.m. for a non-conference game with The Sage Colleges at Saint Rose's Plumeri Sports Complex.