JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's soccer team continued its early-season undefeated run today, Wednesday, Sept. 8, as the Gothic Knights toppled yet another Skyline Conference foe in Sarah Lawrence College. NJCU defeated the Gryphons 2-0 in the friendly confines of the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on Robert L. McNulty Memorial Field.
In the early going, the Gothic Knights (4-0) had a couple chances but could not hit the net against Sarah Lawrence (1-2). The first true chance of the game came in the sixth minute when NJCU drew a foul inside the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Sophomore midfielder
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) took aim at the lower right of the net, however the Gryphons' keeper guessed correctly and stopped the shot. The rebound went right back to Duarte, who rang his next attempt off the crossbar and out. The game remained scoreless.
Minutes later in the ninth, sophomore forward
Gabe Cruz (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) stole the ball and played it from the far side of the offensive zone to the middle of the field, roughly 30 yards out. From there, fellow forward, freshman
Jeff Sanchez (Carteret, N.J./Carteret), ripped one to the top right corner over the netminder's head and make it 1-0 with his first-career goal.
In the 25th minute, Sanchez left the game briefly with an injury — he would return later in the match — and sophomore
Jorkaef Fallas (North Bergen, N.J./Hudson Catholic) came in to replace him. Less than a minute later, following a scrum in front after a Gothic Knights corner kick, Fallas scooped up a turnover 10 yards out from the top-center of the box and blasted one over the keeper's head and into the back of the net to make it 2-0. The unassisted tally was his second goal of the year and of his career.
Highlights:
- Overall, NJCU outshot Sarah Lawrence 20-3, including 6-0 in shots on goal, en route to the 2-0 victory.
- Cruz, Sanchez and Duarte led all players with three shots. Sanchez had a game-high two on goal.
What's Next:
The Gothic Knights return to the pitch this weekend for the Bryan Karl Tournament, hosted by Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. NJCU faces off with SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 3:00 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 12, Jersey City will face either Alfred or D'Youville College at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.
