MAHWAH, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's soccer team competed in the First Round of the 2022 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Gothic Knights, seeded #2 in the Ramapo College pod, took on third-seeded Saint Elizabeth University and defeated the Eagles by a score of 2-0.
NJCU (11-5-2) wasted no time taking the lead against SEU (11-6-3). Junior forward
Maximo Vargas (Montevideo, Uruguay/The British Schools) nearly put the Gothic Knights ahead early in the third minute, but rang his show off the post. Then, sophomore forward
Danny Tobon's (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) corner kick was nearly headed in by Vargas. However, finally midway through the sixth minute, sophomore midfielder
Lucca Cordone (Manantiales, Uruguay/IUA Punta del Este) beat the Eagles' keeper — assisted by junior midfielder
Jorkaef Fallas (North Bergen, N.J./Hudson Catholic) — to make it 1-0. Jersey City attempted two more on-target attempts in the half, but remained ahead by one goal at the break.
The second half started off with junior midfielder
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) landing one on net in the 47th, but he was turned aside. However, in the 62nd, Duarte sent a nice corner kick toward the net and rookie midfielder
Jacobo Espinosa (South Hackensack, N.J./Union City) put it in the back of the net to make it 2-0. Jersey City had three more chance to extend its lead, but held on two win by two.
Highlights:
- NJCU outshot Saint Elizabeth 8-2 in on-target attempts and senior keeper
Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) stopped both for his seventh shutout and 11th victory between the pipes on the season, dropping his goals against average to a miniscule 0.73 and raising his save percentage to .871.
- The Gothic Knights are undefeated over their last 18 non-conference matches, dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season.
Up Next:
The Green and Gold return to action tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, Nov. 13, in the Quarterfinal Round against pod host Ramapo. The winner advances to the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Gothic Knights and Roadrunners tied 2-2 in their only meeting this season on Oct. 8 in Mahwah. Vargas tallied two goals in the draw, while Linebaugh made 10 saves.
