JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's soccer team picked up its second New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory of the season after a strong showing in the 3-0 win at home at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex over William Paterson University this afternoon, Wednesday, Oct. 12.
The Gothic Knights (7-2-1, 2-2-1 NJAC) use the three points in the NJAC standings to move into a tie for fourth place, entrenching themselves right in the middle of the conference tournament conversation. The win over the Pioneers (4-7-1, 1-4 NJAC) is the first for NJCU since the 2013 season as the 2022 campaign continues to be one that solidifies Jersey City as a force in the NJAC, as well as within Region IV.
Helping the Green and Gold to their first multi-win NJAC season since 2013 was, once again, All-NJAC junior forward
Maximo Vargas (Montevideo, Uruguay/The British Schools), who tallied three points — a goal and an assist. He is now second in the NJAC in goals (8), points (18) and points per game (1.80). First-year Gothic Knight and fellow forward
Danny Tobon (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) is also having a banner season for Jersey City — the sophomore transfer from Rutgers-Newark picked up a pair of assists today — and he now leads the NJAC in assists and is third in points per game (1.20), just behind Vargas. Freshman midfielder
Juan Vizcaino (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) continued his solid rookie campaign with his third tally of the season and the one-time NJAC Rookie of the Week is fourth on NJCU in goals and points (7).
The game's first goal came in the 33rd when senior keeper
Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) — he made five stops for his second-career NJAC shutout and seventh win of the year — punted the ball nearly the length of the field. Vargas managed to get his head on it and then send ahead, followed by Tobon who tipped the ball to the right of the box before Vizcaino reached before it went out of bounds with a nice sliding kick to sneak one inside the post for what was ultimately the game-winning goal.
Then, just minutes later in the 36th, Tobon found the ball just outside the box, dribbled around his William Paterson defender and then sent a nice cross inside the 18. Vargas got his head on the ball and sent it into the upper-right of the net to make it 2-0.
With the game firmly at hand at the half, the game's final goal came in the 58th. Freshman midfielder
Jayson Argueta (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) played a give-and-go with junior midfielder
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) and then send a tough-angle shot on goal. The rebound was immediately sent back in to the lower right of the net to make it 3-0 as junior forward
Sergio Tarrida (Palma de Mallorca, Spain/King Richard III College) scored his second goal of the season.
Up Next:
Jersey City returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 15, right back at the Gerrity as Stockton University comes to the West Side for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff. NJCU and the Ospreys are currently locked in a three-way tie for fourth, along with Ramapo College, with each team sporting seven points in the standings at 2-2-1 in conference play. The Gothic Knights will be in search of their first win over Stockton since 2012 — and they way things have gone for Jersey City so far this year, a victory is not out of reach.
