CHESTER, Pa. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Widener University scored the go-ahead goal in the 69th minute and senior goalkeeper John Warwick (Hamilton, N.J.) stopped a potential game-tying penalty kick by New Jersey City University in the 76th minute as the Pride overcame the Gothic Knights, 2-1, in the 2019 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship Tournament Quarterfinals on November 17 at the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium.  
 
NJCU's 61st season of men's soccer ends with an 11-10-1 record in its first postseason tournament since 2012. Widener (11-8-1) advances to the ECAC semifinals on November 23 against Stevenson University.
 
In an evenly-played game from start to finish, the shots (17-17) and shots on goal (8-8) were identical and Warwick (7) made just one more save than NJCU junior goalkeeper Aldahir Cazun (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) (6).
 
For the second straight day, the first goal of the game was an opponent penalty kick. After a takedown in the box in the 15th minute, junior forward Noah Saba (Harleysville, Pa.) struck a penalty kick into the left side just 14:27 into the action—his fifth goal of the season.
 
NJCU tied it in the 34th minute as sophomore forward Edric De Paula (Blairstown, NJ/Newark Tech) netted his team-leading ninth goal of the season with 11:11 left in the half, off a beautiful left-footed cross the deep right sideline from rookie midfielder Oscar Perez (Passaic, NJ/Passaic Tech) who collected his second career assist. The squads were even at the half, 1-1.
 
More than 23 minutes into the second half, Widener scored what proved to be the winner. At the 68:29 mark, a free kick from the right sideline by freshman back Josh Witte (Bel Air, Md.) was punched away with one hand by Cazun. But NJCU could not clear it. Junior back Adam Bailey (Conestoga, Pa.) got a foot on it on the near post and it went high in the air inside the six where senior back Andrew Thomas (Deptford, N.J.) headed it in—his fifth goal of the season. Bailey chalked up his second assist of the year.
 
Late in the 76th minute, a cross onto the right side of the box sent senior center midfielder Joe Burgos (Hackensack, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) in on goal before he was tackled from behind on a streak to the net. NJCU was awarded an obvious penalty kick and the Knights went to the hero of NJCU's Round of 16 win—senior center back Ron Jones (Montclair, NJ/Montclair)—who had two goals and the decisive penalty kick in the shootout. He struck a low, left-footed shot right down the middle and Warwick cleared it with a kick save while falling towards the far left post and the Pride defense cleared the rebound. NJCU had just one more shot the rest of the game.
 
OF NOTE:

• NJCU ends the season with an 11-1-1 record against non-conference opponents this year. Widener is a member of the MAC Commonwealth Conference.
• Series: First-ever meeting between NJCU and Widener.
• The Knights all-time ECAC record drops to 11-7-4 record in 22 ECAC games and have a .591 winning percentage. Including the NCAA Tournament (2005, 2007), NJCU is a 14-9-5 (.589) in 28 playoff games—not including 13 NJAC Tournament games (4-6-3).
• This was NJCU's 12th postseason tournament appearance in school history and the first under head coach Joe Cullen.
• In addition to 2019, NJCU has appeared in the ECAC Metro Tournament  in 1975, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2012. NJCU won the 2004 ECAC Metro championship and were runners-up in 2001 and 2006. 
• This was NJCU's first ECAC Tournament appearance under the current format. Previously, the four primary ECAC Division III regions—Metro, North, South and New England—held separate eight-team tournaments, with each determining its own winner. Now, the top 16 teams from across all four ECAC regions will compete over two weekends for the overall ECAC championship.

 
UP NEXT:

• The 2020 schedule will be announced late in Spring, 2020.

 
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