JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com)  | The New Jersey City University men's soccer team made history in just about the most gorgeous way possible with their 3-2 victory over the College of Mount Saint Vincent (1-5-0) on September 16 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. With the win, the Gothic Knights now stand 8-0-0 on the season, something no other team has done in the 61-year history of the program, breaking the record for consecutive wins to start a season, previously held by the 2016 team. Both teams were led by head coach Joe Cullen.  

"The game today meant a lot to the guys and the program," head coach Joe Cullen said. "We're happy they were able to find a way to get the win and make some history as a group."

The record came in spectacular fashion, as the 94th minute, golden-goal winner came from overtime substitute Edric De Paula (Blairstown, NJ/Newark Tech) chesting the ball to himself in the box for the bicycle kick volley over the Dolphin keeper and into the back of the net, sending the NJCU bench screaming onto the pitch to celebrate.

"This is a memory these guys will always remember and will tie them together as teammates," Cullen posited. "These are days you don't forget as a college athlete and memories I'm happy they are making together."
 
De Paula, who had not played all game because of an injury, entered as the overtime session began, and he made his historic impact immediately. The Knights, who were on the front foot for most of the first 60 minutes, built a nice attack down the left flank, with senior captain Joe Burgos (Hackensack, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) floating a perfect ball over the retreating Dolphin defense to pick out De Paula who supplied all the rest of the necessary magic to get the record-breaking win for the Knights.

"[De Paula] took a knock in the previous game and we were resting him as well as a few other guys," Cullen explained. "He wanted to play and kept asking us to get him on the field. Once we had a chance to settle down after regulation we decided to give him an opportunity in overtime. We took a chance and it obviously paid off as he was able to find the back of the net in a huge moment for himself and for the whole program."
 
The win wasn't without its ups and downs, though, as the Dolphins crawled back from what was a 2-0 NJCU lead in the first half, to tie the game and force overtime in the 87th minute. The Knights ability to bounce back from that late swing in momentum, once the game went to overtime, was essential.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• NJCU got off on the front foot, getting a shot on goal within the first 15 seconds and building steady early pressure.
• The Knights kept the field titled their way until the payoff in the 23rd minute when what appeared to be a cross came off the left boot of Koshane Marshall (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) and through the usually steady hands of CMSV goalie, Padelis Astrinidis (Flushing, N.Y.) for the 1-0 NJCU lead.
• Both the Knights, and Marshall, didn't have to wait long for a second, as a long Ron Jones (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) throw-in was flicked on by Joao Fernandes (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) in the 28th minute, and it landed at the feet of Marshall who calmly slotted the ball right inside the left post to double the Gothic Knight lead, 2-0.
• The Knights stayed aggressive, with a total of 13 shots in the first half to just five for the Dolphins.
• However, after the break, the tide began to slowly turn. The Dolphins made a couple of attacking substitutions, and as the game got chippier, the Dolphins started spending more time in the attacking half.
• That pressure built until the 70th minute when a low, dangerous cross came in from the Dolphin left flank and clipped the boot of an NJCU defender, taking enough of a deflection to get past NJCU goalie, Aldahir Cazun (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson), to cut the Knights' lead in half.
• The Dolphins continued to press, but the stout NJCU backline — headed once again by Fernandes but still missing its talisman and captain Mike Almeida (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) — was up to the task, fending off several strong attacks.
• However, a key moment came in the 87th minute, when a ball went out by the visitor corner flag for what appeared to all to be a CMSV throw-in but was awarded as a corner kick. The Dolphins made the most of it, with defender Khari Greene (Newport News, Va.) getting on the end of the lofted corner to beat Cazun upper right and tie the game up in its waning moments. 
• The final three minutes of the half were played at a frenetic pace, with the Knights getting a corner in the dying moments, but neither team tallied, thus sending the game to overtime.
• Once in overtime, as noted earlier, De Paula — the team's usual starting forward who was out due to injury — finally came on and was immediately part of the build-up. It took only 200 seconds for the sophomore forward to score the highlight-reel winner and send his teammates charging onto the pitch to celebrate.

 
OF NOTE:

• Series: With the thrilling victory, NJCU now leads the all-time series, 6-1 (38-12 goal differential).

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU will look to add on to their historic start, the best in program history, as they travel to Farmingdale, N.Y. to take on the Rams of Farmingdale State College (3-3-0) on Wednesday, September 18, in the final game before their 2019 NJAC debut. 

 
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