JERSEY CITY, N.J.. (NJCUGothicKnights.com)  | New Jersey City University had five different players hit the back of the net as the Gothic Knights broke open a one-goal game at the half with a dominant four-goal second stanza in a 5-0 shutout win against previously unbeaten Yeshiva University on September 6. The non-conference game at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field was the first of 10 at home this season for NJCU.
 
With the win, the Gothic Knights improve to 4-0-0 to start a season for the second time in four years (2016). Remarkably, NJCU now owns a combined 14-1-1 record during the first four games of a season during the Joe Cullen coaching era (2016-present). 
 
NJCU produced its third shutout of the season and has outscored opponents 12-1 to open the year. Yeshiva dropped to 2-1-0 with the loss, after allowing just one goal in its first two games. 
 
NJCU outshot Yeshiva, 30-8 and had a 14-4 margin in shots on goal as the Gothic Knight defense, despite being without two starters, continued to excel in the first week of the season.
 
NJCU continues to get scoring from players who have not been known for netting goals. Four of the five Gothic Knights who scored—junior back Nelson Segovia (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen), freshman midfielder Kevin Alvarez (Bayonne, NJ/M.E.T.S. Charter), senior midfielder Edgar Crespo (Newark, NJ/Science Park) and junior forward Rob Khela (Cairo, Egypt/Alabasia; Alexandria, Egypt)—all achieved their first collegiate goals. Meanwhile, senior midfielder Joe Burgos (Hackensack, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) scored his fourth goal in the last two games after not scoring in the first 33 games of his career.  
 
Alvarez and Burgos each contributed their first career assists to collect three-point days. Senior back Ron Jones (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) and sophomore forward Edric De Paula (Blairstown, NJ/Newark Tech) had the other assists.
 
The defense was led by more stellar play from rookie center back Joao Fernandes (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), who continues to impress in the first week of his collegiate career. With senior backs Mike Almeida (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and Maykol Abreu (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) both sidelined for the game, sophomore midfielder Eduin Hernandez made his first career start, moving to the back line, where he disrupted numerous Yeshiva opportunities and contributed to the shutout. Junior goalkeeper Aldahir Cazun (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) made four saves to preserve the clean sheet.
 
While NJCU outshot Yeshiva in the first half, 16-5 and had 15 of the final 17 shots in the period, it took until late in the 44th minute for the Knights to get on the board. Jones lofted a cross into the center of the box and Segovia delivered a pinpoint header into the lower left corner for the eventual game winner.
 
Leading 1-0 at the half, NJCU scored three times in 10 minutes to blow the game open. Alvarez added the second goal late in the 64th minute, ripping a feed from De Paula into the lower nearside netting. In the 70th minute, Alvarez delivered a ball from the right flank to Burgos, who deposited his fourth tally of the season into the bottom right side. Then, four minutes later, Crespo, who had just checked into the game as a reserve, ran onto a corner kick from Burgos on the near left post, delivering a beautiful header for a 4-0 lead. After a handball in the box, Khela was awarded a penalty kick in the 82nd minute and cashed into the right side to punctuate the scoring.
 
Nicolas Dlugach (Buenos Aires, Argentina) made seven saves for Yeshiva in 81:40 of action; junior Sagi Badash (Rosh Ha'Ayin, Israel) stopped two shots in 8:20 of injury time he subbed in net without allowing a goal.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series: NJCU leads, 3-0 (14-1 goals differential). NJCU also won last year in Jersey City, 3-1. 

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU is back in action with its fifth game in nine days to open the season when it meets Centenary University on Saturday, September 7 (4 p.m.) in Hackettstown, N.J. It will be the first meeting between the schools since the ECAC Quarterfinals on November 8, 2006—a game NJCU won, 2-0—and the first regular season meeting since September 13, 2000 when the Knights prevailed, 3-0, in Hackettstown. NJCU leads the all-time series, 3-1, and have outscored the Cyclones, 8-2. Centenary's lone win was 1-0 in overtime in 1999; the schools first met in 1998.

 
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