MORRISTOWN, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com)  | Senior center midfielder Mallensy Vargas (North Bergen, NJ/Memorial)' flair for heroics was the difference, scoring a game-winning penalty kick with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation as the New Jersey City University women's soccer team survived a late non-conference challenge from the College of Saint Elizabeth on October 1, prevailing 3-2.
 
Vargas reclaimed the NCAA Division III national scoring lead as she had a foot in all three Gothic Knight goals—assisting on the first goal in the 12th minute then scoring minutes later to give NJCU a 2-0 lead at the half before scoring the late winner as NJCU improved to 7-3-1 overall, to getting back in the win column after a loss and a draw the last two times out.

Vargas upped her NCAA scoring totals to 18 goals, eight assists and 44 points with her sixth brace of the season. Vargas was responsible for a remarkable 13 of NJCU's 25 total shots in the game. It was her sixth career effort of 10 or more shots and fourth time with 13 or more.
 
Saint Elizabeth (0-8-0) scored two second-half goals in the 69th and 85th minute to force the late heroics.
 
With a key conference game on the schedule just 24 hours later, head coach Anthony Tuesta played a heavily rotated side, starting several new faces while using a total of 20 players on the day. Some key starters only played limited minutes in what could have been a tune-up for Wednesday's game at Kean University. The Eagles were up for more of a challenge, however, leading to what ended as a tight affair.
 
The Knights did get ahead early, with a pair of goals in the 12th minute, first with senior midfielder Karina Torres (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) scoring her first of the year and second of her career on a nice one-touch finish from a move initiated by the Knights two top creative forces: Vargas and Arame Diouf (Weehawken, NJ/Memorial), who notched her second career assists.
 
Right after, Vargas did it herself, as she has done so often throughout her career, beating the goalie in the left corner for her Division III-leading 17th goal of the season.  
 
In the 30th minute, Tuesta began making substitutions for most of his starters, and the rotated squad held the Eagles at bay throughout the remainder of the first half. 
 
With a good number of the NJCU starters on the bench to start the second half, the Eagles started to amp up the pressure, and they broke through in the 69th minute, as Alyssa Ortiz (Hoboken, N.J.) sent one from inside the box to teammate Taylor Veve (Bayville, N.J.), who connected on the first touch to cut the Knights' lead to 2-1.
 
The NJCU starters began to filter back onto the pitch, but in the 85th minute the Eagles equalized, as Carissa Kirkland (Bloomfield, N.J.) took it herself past the defense to tie things up at 2-2 with just over five minutes to play.
 
With the victory now in question, NJCU flipped the switch, creating a pair of shots before a 90th minute penalty was given to the Knights—a  penalty which Vargas took with confidence, notching her 18th goal of the year. It was also her fifth game-winning goal of the season, tying her for first in Division III. The Knights saw out the final 54 seconds for their seventh win of the season.
 
OF NOTE: 

• Series: NJCU leads 9-4. This is the first meeting since the two teams played on 10/21/2008 when the Knights won, 9-0. NJCU has won the last five meetings.
• Vargas upped her career totals to 136 points on 58 goals and 20 assists in 54 career games. She has scored 14 career game-winning goals—third most in school history.  She converted her sixth career penalty kick in seven attempts.
• The Knights outshot the Eagles 25-14 on the game (10-4 edge on target), including a 19-4 differential in the dominant first half.
• The Knights held an 10-2 differential in corner kicks.

 
UP NEXT: 

• NJCU hits the road for a key NJAC game at Kean University (3-6-0, 0-2-0 NJAC) on Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Union, N.J.

 
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