NEW YORK — On a what seems like the first somewhat chilly evening in nearly five months, the New Jersey City University men's soccer team played in a tight one-goal match on the road tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 7, on Randall's Island against St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn. Despite the low-scoring outcome, the Gothic Knights did their damage when it counted, tallying the match's lone goal in the 43rd minute off the foot of freshman
Jacobo Espinosa (South Hackensack, N.J./Union City) following a nice corner attempt.
With the victory, NJCU (3-0) is now 29-2-2 in non-conference matches dating back to head coach
Joe Cullen's third season at the helm of the program in 2018, including a 13-game undefeated streak (12-0-1) outside of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) competition.
Overall, Jersey City took control of pace of play for the majority of the match tonight against the Bears (1-2), outshooting them 7-1 in on-target attempts. Senior keeper
Nick Linebaugh (Linden, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) stopped the lone St. Joe's shot on goal for his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career thanks in part to a strong performance from NJCU's backline, led by junior captain center back
Anthony Salmeron (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen).
The Green and Gold peppered the Bears' netminder to the tune of four on-goal shots midway through the first half before each team was called for a yellow, first NJCU in the 35th and then St. Joe's in the 39th. The Gothic Knights were then awarded their third corner kick of the match — first since the 10th minute — in the 43rd and junior
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) sent a cross in from the far side to the post nearest him. The ball bounced a couple of times in front before trickling out to Espinosa, who as standing wide open at the opposite post. The rookie was able to send it to the upper left with a nice strike for his team-leading third goal of the season.
Continuing to put the pressure on in the second, Jersey City attempted two more shots on goal, but was unsuccessful. However, the Gothic Knights maintained a strong hold on the possession and rarely allowed the Bears to cross midfield, keeping the match a one-goal game until the final whistle blew, which capped the victory for the visitors.
Up Next:
After a couple days rest, NJCU returns to action on the road in Brooklyn for a Friday evening, Sept. 9, match against Medgar Evers College. Following that, the squad heads up to Yonkers for a 7:00 p.m. clash with Sarah Lawrence College on Monday night, Sept. 12. The Gothic Knights are then scheduled to return home to Jersey City a week later on Monday afternoon, Sept. 19, for a 4:00 p.m. match against Brooklyn College.
