#GothicKnightInsights: Interview with Kaydee Murphy

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Freshman forward Katherin Merino (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) and sophomore back Catarina Teodosio (Newark, NJ/East Side) each notched a goal and an assist and accounted for 12 of NJCU's 21 shots on goal as the New Jersey City University women's soccer team outshot John Jay College, 32-10, and posted a 4-1 non-conference victory on October 7 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
Merino assisted on the first goal in the third minute before netting her team-leading sixth goal and 15th point early in the 10th minute as NJCU (4-6-1) snapped a three-game losing streak. John Jay (1-7-2) dropped its third in a row.
 
Merino finished with 12 shots including seven on goal in 71 minutes—the third time this season she has attempted double figures in shots in a game. Teodosio put all five of her shots on goal and netted her first goal of the season while assisting on a goal for the second straight game.
 
Rookie midfielder Daniela Betancourt (West New York, NJ/Memorial) and junior forward Bryanna Murray-Moncion (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) each collected their third goals of the season while junior midfielder Kaydee Murphy (Bayonne, NJ/Holy Family Academy) produced her fifth assist of the season. Junior back Jubeth Buitrago (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus), in her third game back from an injury that cost her eight games, had one assist.
 
Senior goalkeeper Cassie Lubonski (Edison, NJ/Edison) set aside five shots in the win for NJCU. JJC senior Andrea Antoni made six saves in 31:41 before being forced to leave after a collision inside the six. Sophomore Kelli Doherty played the final 58:19, making 11 saves against two goals.

NJCU needed just 2:23 to get on the board as Merino played a ball across the box from the right endline and Betancourt unleashed a top-shelf one-timer over the hands of a leaping Antoni.
 

John Jay, which had only scored three goals in nine games this year, took advantage of a giveaway less than five minutes later. The NJCU defense played a ball back to Lubonski near the top of the 18 but she had a bad first touch on the ball and Katelyn Davis, who was pressuring the play, kicked the loose ball down the middle of the empty net from outside the 18.
 
But two minutes later, Merino put NJCU in front for good. Teodosio delivered a breakaway pass from midfield to Merino who dribbled in and pinpointed a shot into the upper right 90 off the goalkeeper's hands at 9:01.
 
Leading 2-1 at halftime, Buitrago and Teodosio teamed up at 57:35. After a foul, Buitrago took a free kick from the right of the midfield circle and Teodosio ran onto the ball, chipping it over the head of Doherty just outside the 18 and the ball trickled into the net before it could be cleared.
 
NJCU added one more in the 84th minute when Murphy dished a breakaway pass from midfield and Murray-Moncion was able to finish right from the penalty mark.
 
OF NOTE:

• NJCU leads all-time series, 3-0 (15-1 goals differential); John Jay scored against NJCU for the first time.
• NJCU became only the fourth team this season to score more than two goals in a game against John Jay and the first since Rowan on September 9.
• The 32 shots tied for second most this season.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU faces first-place and nationally No. 10/14 ranked The College of New Jersey on Saturday, October 10 at 1 p.m. in Ewing, NJ in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game. The Lions (8-0-3, 3-0-1 NJAC) lead the all-time series, 20-0 (177-0 goals differential, 857-38 shots margin). TCNJ has won 17 of 22 conference titles in league history (since 1994). TCNJ is ranked No. 10 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and 14th by D3soccer.com.