STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rookie right back Mike Almeida (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) struck in the 49th minute for the only goal of the game and was part of a defensive unit that helped freshman goalkeeper Eric Lopes Silva (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) preserve a clean sheet as the New Jersey City University men's soccer team opened its 59th season with a 1-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on September 1 at the CSI Soccer Fall Classic.
 
Lopes Silva made seven saves, his last in the 88th minute as the Gothic Knights (1-0) were outshot 17-11 but made Almeida's strike stand up. Lopes Silva also stopped a point-blank header in the second half to maintain the lead and attacked several other chances in the air.
 
A fellow rookie back contributed to the goal as freshman Walter Salmeron (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen), a former First-Team All-Hudson County and all-state selection, who plays college soccer for the first time since graduating high school two years ago at North Bergen High, assisted on the winner at 48:43 when Almeida drove a shot from outside the 18 into the top left side.
 
Almeida, Salmeron, senior center back Luis Cruz (Princeton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) and junior outside back Edwin Carbajal (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) played a full 90 minutes each in the back to contribute to the shutout.
 
Platteville sophomore keeper Nate Miller (Racine, Wisc.) made three saves for the Pioneers (0-1). UW-Platteville, members of the challenging Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), was 12-6 last season.
 
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
 
Head Coach Joe Cullen: "We managed to grind out 90 minutes playing with a very young group and guys who are stilling feeling each other out. Finding chemistry is going to take some time, but I'm happy with the effort our guys showed today. Wisconsin-Platteville was very organized and well coached. They made it difficult to find opportunities but we found the net once and that proved to be enough. A simple switch across the midfield to Almeida freed him up to take a good prep touch and let one fly. A well-hit ball that found the upper left side of the net put us ahead 1-0 early in the second half. Defensively, we were solid and kept the game in front of us. Luis Cruz (Princeton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) was crucial in our organization and communication from the back. Eric Lopes came up big with the saves we needed him to make and kept the clean sheet."
 
OF NOTE:

• Second meeting with UW-Platteville. Series tied, 1-1. UW-Platteville defeated NJCU, 2-1, on August 31, 2012 in the same tournament in Staten Island.
• NJCU posted a shutout win to open the season for the second straight year (Baruch, 2-0; September 1, 2016).
• Joe Cullen is the third head coach in program history to earn shutouts in consecutive season openers to begin a career. Tom Casserly's teams posted shutouts to open the 1982 (vs. SUNY Purchase, 8-0), 1983 (vs. John Jay, 2-0), 1984 (vs. John Jay, 4-0) and 1985 (@NJIT, 0-0) seasons. NJCU won in 2009 (@CCNY, 7-0) and 2010 (vs. CCNY, 5-0) for then coach Nansha Kalonji.

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU plays in the second round of the CSI Soccer Fall Classic on Saturday, September 2 at 12 p.m. against St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn). NJCU won the first-ever meeting between the schools on September 10, 2016 in Patchogue, N.Y. when current junior forward Theo Sanoh (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) scored twice, in the 84th minute and then in the third minute of overtime, to overcome a 1-0 deficit for a 2-1 overtime triumph.

 
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