JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Freshman back Walter Salmeron (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) twice netted game-tying goals and the New Jersey City University men's soccer team collected a point in the standings after a 2-2 draw against The College of New Jersey in two overtimes in the first home New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season on September 23 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
After TCNJ went ahead 1-0 in the fifth minute, Salmeron, who scored his second and third goals out of the back to take the team scoring lead (three goals, seven points), evened the game at 1-1 just 2:02 prior to halftime. TCNJ (4-4-1, 0-1-1 NJAC) went ahead again in the 66th minute before Salmeron drilled a shot from distance in the 75th minute to force a 2-2 deadlock.
 
NJCU (4-2-2, 0-1-1 NJAC) outshot the Lions 9-4 in the second half and 16-15 for the game. The Lions had the only two shots of the two overtime periods as the Gothic Knights did not get an attempt off after the 88th minute.
 
Freshman midfielder Diego López assisted on the game-tying goal late in the 43rd minute. Freshman goalkeeper Eric Lopes Silva (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) returned to the lineup for NJCU and made three saves.
 
Freshman midfielder James Pike (Short Hills, N.J.) scored the second goal and contributed his second assist of the season on the first goal to pace TCNJ. Junior defender Nick Provenzano (Stockton, N.J.) scored his third goal of the season for the guests in the first half. Junior midfielder Matt Skinner (Allentown, N.J.) had the assist on the second Lions goal. Freshman keeper Michael Kayal (Mahwah, N.J.) made six saves to preserve the game.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
NJCU had a great opportunity in the third minute when freshman midfielder Joe Burgos (Hackensack, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep) won a giveaway in the defensive third, slipping a ball to junior forward Theo Sanoh (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) whose shot from close range was just wide left.
 
TCNJ grabbed the lead in the fifth minute on a scrum in the box. When NJCU could not clear the ball out of the box, Pike headed the ball to the far left post and Provenzano flicked a header over the challenging Lopes Silva into the upper left corner from three yards out. Another goal was negated 44 seconds later when Pike fouled the Gothic Knight keeper.
 
In the 28th minute, Sanoh stole the ball and had a half field breakaway on the right wing before the TCNJ keeper came out for a 1v1 kick save. A 40th minute leaping header by TCNJ freshman forward Abdullah Afridi (Skillman, N.J.) narrowly missed the near right post. In the 43rd minute Afridi slipped a ball across the box to junior Nick Zolofra (Holmdel, N.J.)  in a 2-on-1 and Lopes Silva came out to make a terrific two-handed save.
 
Just 51 seconds later NJCU got even. Lopez and Salmeron teamed up on a give-and-go play down the middle of the field. Salmeron sidestepped the challenging keeper at the penalty mark and walked the ball across the line at the 42:58 mark. The teams were even, 1-1, at the half with TCNJ owning a slight 9-7 edge in shots.
 
NJCU collected the first four shots of the second half, including two on a near scoring play. A shot by senior back Luis Cruz (Princeton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) was tipped up and off the crossbar and Salmeron's header on the rebound was tipped wide by Kayal. In the 53rd minute Sanoh had a break on the far left wing off a throw in, missing into the side netting before leaving the game shaken up.
 
A TCNJ goal on a cross inside the six in the 56th minute was waved off on a Lions' offsides by back Matt Nastarowicz (Freehold, N.J.). A goal by Sanoh with 15:46 left was also negated by an offsides as each team lost a potential strike.
 
TCNJ did pull in front at the 65:36 juncture. After an NJCU defensive giveaway and a missed mark on the left side of the box, Skinner fed Pike for his third goal of the season.
 
The Knights found the equalizer with 15:11 left. After Kayal punched away a cross in the middle of the box, the ball came to Salmeron in the middle of the field and unleashed a low rocket from 35 yards out that squeezed through traffic and found the left side of the net for a 2-2 tie.
 
NJCU had a chance to pull in front in the 79th minute . Freshman midfielder Jonathan Franco (South River, NJ/South River) sprinted down the right wing and stayed on sides, driving towards the goal. He drew the keeper out in a 2-on-1 and could have dished to junior transfer Koshane Marshall (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) in his first game for the Knights but elected to take the shot and missed high.
 
TCNJ's best chance to win it came with 6:10 left when Lopes Silva darted to the 18 and laid out to take the ball off the foot of junior midfielder Nick Sample (New Egypt, N.J.)  after he had eluded a defender for an open look at net. TCNJ had the only serious attempt in the 103rd minute of overtime when his free kick just to the left of the penalty arc cleared the wall and was high of the crossbar. TCNJ also had a cross narrowly miss the far left post with four minutes remaining.
 
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
 
Postgame Facebook Live Interview with Walter Salmeron (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) and Edwin Carbajal (Rahway, NJ/Rahway): https://www.facebook.com/NJCUGothicKnights/videos/10155274704879915/
 
OF NOTE:

• 133rd overtime game in program history (28-31-74).
• Series: 62nd meeting since 1959. TCNJ leads, 51-7-4.
• TCNJ has its five-game winning streak snapped in the series; now 5-0-1 in last six games.
• First draw in the series since a 0-0 tie on October 19, 2002 in Jersey City.
• First over-time game in series since October 23, 2010; TCNJ won, 4-3 (1 OT) in Ewing, N.J.

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU begins a four-game road trip on Wednesday, September 27 (7:30 p.m.) when it visits No. 4/11 ranked Rutgers-Newark, a 2016 national quarterfinalist, in Newark, N.J.  RU-Newark won last year's meeting, 2-0, on September 28, 2016 in Jersey City. Newark leads the all-time series, 23-17-2, and has won the last eight meetings.

 
GOTHIC KNIGHTS on SOCIAL MEDIA:
For the latest on NJCU men's soccer and #NJCUMSOC, follow the Gothic Knights on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and SnapChat. Preferred hashtags are GothicGameDay and GothicFamily.  
NOTE: Story updated on September 27 (11:26 a.m.) to reflect a scoring change on the first TCNJ goal.