PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore forward Omar Ventura (Fairview, N.J./Cliffside Park) tied it in the 84th minute and scored the golden goal winner less than three minutes into overtime as the New Jersey City University men's soccer team's remarkable start to the 2016 season under new head coach Joseph Cullen reached historical levels with a 3-2 overtime victory over host St. Joseph's College (LI) on the second day of the St. Joseph's Invitational on September 11.
 
Without playing a game on its home pitch yet, NJCU is 6-0-0 to start a season for the first time in 50 years. The only other time it occurred in the 58-year history of the program was 1966 when then-Jersey City State College also was 6-0-0. The Eagles fell to 0-4-0.
 
NJCU and Plattsburgh State each went 2-0 in the classic-format tournament but Plattsburgh was declared the event winner based on goal differential with NJCU (+8 vs. +2).
 
Ventura was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the tournament as he netted his sixth and seventh goals of the season and gave NJCU a win in the third minute of overtime for the second straight day.
 

NJCU fell behind by a goal twice in the game—1-0 in the 10th minute and 2-1 in the 77th. Senior midfielder Davauni Brown (Newark, N.J./Newark Tech) produced NJCU's first-game tying goal in the 53rd minute—his sixth of the season—after the Eagles took a 1-0 lead to the half.
 
Freshman midfielder Jose Salazar (Jersey City, N.J./Union City) and junior back Luis Cruz (Princeton, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro South) assisted on the first two game-tying goals before freshman back Ryan Stelicos (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) earned his first collegiate point with the game-winning assist.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Adam Cassidy (Jersey City, N.J./County Prep) made four saves to remain perfect. SJCLI keeper Avery Gomez had five saves in defeat. NJCU outshot the Eagles, 20-12, including 14-6 in the second half and overtime.
 
Cody Kull hand Rayneri Ruiz scored the two goals for the hosts with Justin Busto assisting on the go-ahead goal in the 77th minute.
 
Sophomore forward Theo Sanoh (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson), who had the game-tying and game-winning tallies on Saturday, didn't score, but managed a game-high six shots with two on goal. Ventura scored on just three shots. Brown had three shots (two on goal).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Eagles got on the board a second into the 10th minute when a corner kick fell loose in the box, and Kull pounced on it, knocking in the first goal. The shots were even at the half, 6-6.
 
Down one, Brown got the first equalizer when Salazar fed him on the right, before he beat Gomez inside the box. SJCLI went back on top 23 minutes later as Busto sent a ball down the right side before Ruiz cut inside, finishing his first goal of the season.
 
With its backs against the wall for the second straight day, Cruz found Ventura wide open in the box at the 83:24 mark as he slipped a low cross from the left to the NJCU leading scorer. Cassidy had to make a pair of saves in the final three minutes to force overtime.
 
Then in the extra session, Sanoh nearly won it at 92:36. His shot was saved but NJCU won it 20 seconds later when Stelicos, who just reentered the game in the 86th minute, fed Ventura in the box, and he found the left the side of the Eagles net to end it.
 
#QUOTABLEKNIGHTS:
Head Coach Joe Cullen on the overtime win: "We have to be happy as a group about the weekend results. I'm proud of the guys for muscling through the long travel weekend to play back-to-back games and get two overtime wins. It isn't easy to go get six straight road wins. I applaud this group for being mentally and physically engaged six trips in a row."
 
OF NOTE:

• Series: NJCU leads, 9-2-1 and has won eight of the last nine meetings.
• The 1966 team that opened the year 6-0-0 finished 9-1-1.
• 130th overtime game in program history (29-61-71).
• Full Tournament Awards:
  • Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Omar Ventura, NJCU
  • Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Nick Economou, Plattsburgh
  • Most Outstanding Goalkeeper: Andrew LaClaustra, Plattsburgh

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
After three road and three neutral-site games to open the season, NJCU will finally play its 2016 home opener on Wednesday, September 14 (3 p.m.) when it hosts the College of Staten Island (3-1-1) at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.