PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior midfielder Mallensy Vargas (North Bergen, NJ/Memorial) scored twice in a game where shot totals were nearly identical between the New Jersey City University women's soccer team and St. Joseph's College (LI). But the Golden Eagles scored three times in the first 16 minutes and secured a 6-2 win over the Gothic Knights on September 1 at Danzi Stadium.
 
St. Joseph's, playing its season opener (1-0), only outshot NJCU (0-2) by a 16-15 margin, and both sides had eight second half shots. But the Eagles stopped eight of NJCU's 10 shots on goal to frustrate the Knights. NJCU had a 10-9 margin in shots on goal.
 
Vargas notched her 10th career brace and her 41st and 42nd career goals, leaving her four points shy of 100 for her career (96 points). Vargas, who came in as a substitution in the 14th minute, had eight of NJCU's 15 shots, putting six on target. 
 
Senior forward Christina Gagliardi (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Abbey Curcio (Miller Place, N.Y.) each scored twice for SJCLI and senior goalkeeper Juliana Cintron-Leonardo (Riverhead, N.Y.) registered eight saves to thwart Vargas and company. Senior back Karissa Rutigliano (Coram, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Savannah McMaster (Nesconset, N.Y.) added single goals
 
Gagliardi had nine of the Eagles 16 shots and put five on target, including one that put the hosts in front in the seventh minute as she split defenders with a shot into the lower left corner past sophomore keeper Sidney Lee-Sam, who made three saves. Rutigliano scored off a corner in the 13th minute for a 2-0 lead and Curcio hit a shot from 20 yards in the 16th minute to claim a 3-0 advantage.
 
Trailing 3-0, Vargas scored an unassisted tally on a header of a rebound in the 29th minute to keep NJCU in the game at the half when the score was 3-1. The Eagles pulled away with additional goals in the 48th, 55th and 61st minutes before Vargas again put away a rebound in the 84th minute. 
 
OF NOTE: 

• Series: St. Joseph's leads all-time series, 9-2. 
• First meeting since October 15, 2012 in Jersey City. NJCU won, 2-1. 
• First meeting in Long Island since 2010.

 
UP NEXT: 

• NJCU opens its nine-game home schedule on Wednesday, September 4 at 4:00 p.m. when it hosts Medgar Evers College at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. Watch live on #GothicVision.

 
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