JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's soccer team picked up a monumental victory on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, on Robert L. McNulty Field at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. The Gothic Knights defeated New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe Rowan University for the first time since the 2010 season as they topped the Profs by a wide margin of 6-0. Moreover, junior All-NJAC forward Maximo Vargas (Montevideo, Uruguay/The British Schools) tallied the first hat trick of his collegiate career in the win.

NJCU (6-1, 1-1 NJAC) got things started late in the eighth when sophomore Jerson Lanchipa (Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy), playing a defensive midfielder today, took the game's first shot. It was turned aside by the Rowan (5-4-2, 0-1-1 NJAC) keeper — up and over the net to force a corner. Less than half a minute later, junior midfielder Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) sent a perfect cross off the nearside corner and Lanchipa managed to head it in past the keeper for the first tally of his collegiate career, making it 1-0 early in the ninth.

In the 23rd minute, the Gothic Knights drew a foul and Duarte lined up for the free kick. A perfectly placed ball made it 2-0. Minutes later in the 26th, sophomore forward Danny Tobon (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) sent a perfectly placed cross to the front of the net and Vargas headed it into the top left corner to make it 3-0. Then late in the 27th, sophomore back Jason Suarez (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) sent a pass nearly the length of the pitch to find the foot of Vargas, once again, and the junior lifted it over the Prof netminder to make it 4-0. Rowan had a couple more chances before the end of the half, but senior keeper Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) turned them both aside.

The Profs took three more shots on goal, most solid opportunities, in the second half but Linebaugh stood tall with seven total saves for the first NJAC shutout of his career. The match seemed to be headed to a 4-0 decision, however, Vargas continued on his hunt for goals and took a nice through ball from Duarte in the 88th and beat the Rowan keeper to make it 5-0. Less than a minute later, junior midfielder Nick Atehortua (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) found a streaking Tobon, who blew through the Profs' backline and beat the netminder to make it 6-0 early in the 89th.

Highlights:
- This win is Jersey City's first over the Profs since Sept. 25, 2010.
- This is the first NJAC win for the Gothic Knights since a 2-0 triumph over Kean University on Oct. 2, 2013.
- The conference shutout is the first for NJCU since a 0-0 double-overtime draw with then-Richard Stockton College on Oct. 18, 2014.

Up Next:
Jersey City looks to keep it going on Saturday, Oct. 1, back at the Gerrity when Rutgers-Camden comes to McNulty for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.