MAHWAH, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's soccer team equaled its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) point total from all of 2022 with a strong performance on the road tonight, Saturday, Oct. 7. The Gothic Knights got an early 17th-minute tally off a well-placed free kick from sophomore midfielder
Nyrohah Alvarenga (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) and held on for the 1-1 draw against Ramapo College.
NJCU (5-5-2, 1-2-1 NJAC) matched their overall win total from last season with the squad's fifth victory of 2023 tonight and also matched last year's four points in conference play with tonight's 1-1 tie against the Roadrunners (2-7-1, 0-3-1 NJAC). Currently, the Gothic Knights sit in a tie for sixth place overall at roughly the halfway mark of the NJAC season, which all 10 teams having played four of their nine conference contests.
Sophomore keeper
Sophia Mannino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) was pressured early, making three stops over the first nine-plus minutes of play. The Green and Gold then turned it on with a couple of shots on goal of their own over the next couple of minutes before the Roadrunners were called for the first yellow of the game just outside the box in the 17th. Alvarenga lined up for the free kick, which just three Ramapo defenders in front of her. She sent a well placed ball to the bottom left corner of the net for the score — her second of the season. Alvarenga is second on NJCU with seven points.
The Gothic Knights had two more on-target attempts over the next 10 minutes, but it was Ramapo who broke through midway through the 28th to tie it up at 1-1. Tempers flared at the end of the first half as NJCU was called for four yellow cards, while the Roadrunners earned a yellow of their own.
NJCU outshot Ramapo 5-3 in on-target attempts in the second half, but neither team was able to break through in what was the third tie in the series' all-time history, dating back to 1993.
Highlights:
- Mannino made eight stops on the night and has made at least that many on five occasions this season.
- With senior forward
Kim Brites (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) out due to injury, Alvarenga led all players in total shots (7) and shots on goal (5). Sophomore midfielder
Becky Lopez (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View) was right behind her with four shots, including three on goal.
Up Next:
Riding a three-game unbeaten streak, including a 1-0-1 mark in NJAC play, the Gothic Knights will host William Paterson University in a highly-contested home NJAC match on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 11, on Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. NJCU defeated the Pioneers on the road in last year's match-up, 1-0, on the strength of a 25th-minute tally from then-freshman forward
Ari Flores-Ortiz (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional). The Green and Gold look to notch its first multi-win NJAC season since 2017 with a victory on Wednesday.
