JERSEY CITY, N.J. — After a few last-minute schedule changes, the New Jersey City University men's soccer team did away with any concern of rust to start the 2022 campaign. The Gothic Knights, after dominating possession for the majority of the game, took home the 3-1 season-opening victory on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 1, against The College at Old Westbury at Caven Point Field. Freshman
Jacobo Espinosa (South Hackensack, N.J./Union City) shined in his collegiate debut and tallied two goals in less than a two-minute span early in the second half to power the win.
Things started out well for Jersey City (1-0) as the home squad dominated the first half, outshooting the Panthers (0-1) 5-1 in on-target attempts, but thanks to some strong play by the opposition's keeper, the teams ended the first 45:00 knotted up in a scoreless tie. If things continued that way in the second half, the game would have ended in a tie as, per one of the newest rules instituted by the NCAA, teams at all three Divisions will no longer play overtime in the regular-season — only during tournament or postseason competition. The match between the Gothic Knights and Old Westbury was also a physical one — each squad was called for a yellow in the first half, and then combined for three more (two for OW) in the second.
The best chance of the first half for Jersey City came early on in the eighth minute when freshman
Juan Vizcaino (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) busted through the Panthers' back line, but rang one off the crossbar. Minutes later in the 14th, junior
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) was taken down inside the box and earned NJCU's first penalty attempt of the season — the Panthers' keeper was able to stop it and keep the game scoreless. As mentioned, the home team had a total of five shots on goal in the first half but could not score, however early on in the second, the narrative changed.
NJCU notched three shots on goal in the early going of the second, while each squad was called for a yellow. Then, in the 58th minute, junior standout
Maximo Vargas (Montevideo, Uruguay/The British Schools) — a 2021 Honorable Mention All-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) selection — and sophomore
Danny Tobon (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) — a transfer from Rutgers-Newark — combined for some nice passing and ultimately found Espinosa, who beat the keeper for the first goal of his collegiate career to make it 1-0. With the dust yet to settle, Espinosa was already at it again as the rookie took matters into his own hands with an unassisted tally to make it 2-0 in the 60th.
Old Westbury was able to get one back and make it 2-1 in the 71st, however the Gothic Knights used the entirety of the pitch to make it 3-1 in the 78th. Senior netminder
Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) — who made three saves to collect the victory — got in on the scoring action. The 5-foot-10 keeper sent a ball from inside his own 18 all the way down to past midfield to find a streaking junior
Jorkaef Fallas (North Bergen, N.J./Hudson Catholic) in the middle of the field. Fallas then sped through the Panthers' back line and beat the keeper for his first goal of the season and fourth of his career.
Up Next:
After a one-day rest, the Gothic Knights return to the pitch at Caven Point for a 4:00 p.m. non-conference clash with Hunter College on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 3. NJCU won the most recent matchup with the Hawks, 1-0 back in 2018.
