JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's soccer team exploded for 10 goals this afternoon, Sept. 2, against the Yeshiva Maccabees to take the season-opener for the first time since 2013. The Gothic Knights were dominat from start to finish, as their relentless defense did not allow a single shot in the 90 minutes of play at Caven Point. On the other side of the pitch, the offense kept busy by scorching 61 shots, which tied the 2009 team-record for second most shots ever in a match. Head coach Anthony Tuesta found success with the new members of the squad, as six of the seven players who recorded a goal today also made their NJCU debut. After leading Jersey City's team in goals last season, junior forward Kim Brites (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) wasted no time by capturing her first two goals of the season. 

NJCU (1-0-0, 0-0) was on the attack from the opening whistle, wasting no time to get ahead of the Maccabees. Leading the early offensive strike was junior transfer Hailey Goncalves (Union, N.J./Union). The midfielder came across the middle of the Yeshiva defense and knocked in a perfect pass from Brites, just 1:22 into the match. Following the quick goal, freshman forward Jessica Digristina (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) made her debut felt, knocking in a loose ball in front of the goal-keeper at 6:31 to extend the Gothic Knight lead, 2-0. Just 22 seconds later, Digristina sent Brites to the middle of the field, and the former All-NJAC showed-off her footwork skills by getting past the Maccabee defense and notching the goal.

With the defense of senior captain Arame Diouf (Weehawken, N.J./Memorial), sophomore Brianna Eckel-Cifrese (East Windsor, N.J./Hightstown) and freshman Katie Kelly (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) shutting down any Yeshiva offensive momentum, NJCU managed to squeeze another goal in before the halftime break. Scoring the first of two goals in her NJCU debut was freshman midfielder Nyrohah Alvarenga (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech), putting a ball into the back of the net from the corner-kick by senior captain Michelle Taras (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side). This gave the Gothic Knights a comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the second half.

In the next 45 minutes of play, the Gothic Knights were even more dominant and persistent on both sides of the pitch. Making the most of a Maccabee mistake, Brates pushed her second goal of the afternoon across on a penalty kick, giving her 11 goals since the start of the 2021-22' season. Jersey City's team ran away with the match in the second-half, scoring four goals in the span of seven minutes. To begin the hot-stretch for the squad, Alvarenga made an impressive play to score her second goal of the day. After the Yeshiva goalie punched the ball out of the zone, the rookie booted the ball from mid-air and gave NJCU a 6-0 lead.

Continuing to make the most of their first opportunities in the Green and Gold, freshman duo of Ariana Flores-Ortiz (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional) and Rebecca Lopez (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View) both collected their first career goals. Flores-Ortiz took advantage of a lead-pass from junior forward Shea Ramirez (Bogota, N.J./Immaculate Conception), knocking in the goal inside the box. Shortly after, Lopez from nearly 20 yards out ripped a goal in the top-right corner of the net for NJCU to extend its lead to 8-0. After Digristina captured her second goal of the afternoon, freshman Natalia Jaramillo (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) ended the afternoon with her first career goal, a deep-cross that found the back of the net. With the suffocating defense of the Gothic Knights, the Maccabees were unable to make any comeback, allowing NJCU to secure the home victory 10-0, respectively. 

Up Next: The New Jersey City University women's soccer team will look to keep this momentum, as they quickly return to the pitch tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. for a non-conference clash with Mount Saint Vincent at Caven Point.