JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Freshman forward Katherin Merino (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) collected her first collegiate brace with goals in the 32nd and 59th minutes and freshman midfielder Lexi Capote (Leonia, NJ/Leonia) netted her first two NCAA goals in the 78th and 86th frames to seal it as New Jersey City University overwhelmed the City College of New York, 4-0, in non-conference women's soccer on September 12 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
NJCU (2-3-1) outshot CCNY (0-4), 32-4, with a 17-2 margin in the first half when the Gothic Knights led their 2015 home opener 1-0 at the break. NJCU also outshot the Beavers 15-2 in the second half.
 
Merino scored her second and third goals of the season while NJCU received single assists from  junior midfielder Kaydee Murphy (Bayonne, NJ/Holy Family Academy) and rookie midfielder Daniela Betancourt (West New York, NJ/Memorial), who produced her first collegiate point.
 
Merino had 11 shots in the game with six on goal. Betancourt added six attempts (two on goal) and Capote took five shots with three on target.
 
Senior goalkeeper Cassie Lubonski (Edison, NJ/Edison) only needed to make one save to register her second collegiate shutout, but that stop was a thing of beauty—a 67th minute smother of a point-blank shot inside the six. She ran her shutout streak to 237 minutes.
 CCNY was limited to four total shots and one on goal thanks to the defensive effort led by sophomore backs Claudia Gomez (Union City, NJ/Union City)  and Catarina Teodosio (Newark, NJ/East Side) and freshmen defenders Chelsea Uribe (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) and Odelia Cordova (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park).
 
The Knights got on the board at 31:58 when Murphy touched a pass into the box to Merino who one-timed a finish to the left. The assist was Murphy's second.
 
At 58:15 Merino won the ball on the far right wing with her back to the goal, turned, and unleashed a blistering shot into the near left side.
 
Capote got into the scoring column for the first time at the 77:55 mark. Betancourt made a long run on the right wing and played a ball across the box on the ground where Capote ran onto it and buried a one-timer inside the near left post. Capote got her second tally at 85:19 when she won a ball on the left wing and curved a high shot that caromed off the backup keeper's hands and in.
 
Marissa Olsen played the first 77:55 in goal for CCNY and made 11 saves. Zoe-Elena Rosenbloom played the final 12:05 without stopping a shot.
 
QUOTABLE:
Head Coach Michael Vivino (third season) on the result: "I'm happy the girls played as a team. We made some good decisions on the field that produced quality chances. It's always nice to see players get their first college points. Our next step is to pick this game apart and figure what we need to do to prepare for the next one."
 
OF NOTE:

• NJCU leads the all-time series with CCNY, 12-1 and owns an 81-7 goals differential.

• 62nd shutout recorded in program history.
• NJCU owned a 6-1 advantage on corner kicks.
• CCNY dropped its seventh straight game.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU will host The King's College (NY) on Wednesday, September 16 at 4 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the sides.