JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's soccer team defeated the City College of New York, 5-0, on Wednesday afternoon, Sep 20, on Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. The Gothic Knights were unable to break the deadlock in the first half after a slow start, but erupted after the intermission to put away the Beavers. Junior
Maximo Vargas (Montevideo, Uruguay/The British Schools) scored a brace to tie reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Week
Danny Tobon (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) for goals in 2023, while the latter finished the match with a goal and an assist. Senior
Jorkaef Fallas (North Bergen, N.J./Hudson Catholic) put away his second goal of the season via junior
Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) and junior
Lucca Cordone (Manantiales, Uruguay/IUA Punta del Este) found the back of the net for the first time this campaign.
NJCU (4-1) couldn't find the back of the net in the first half despite 10 shots through 45 minutes. CCNY (0-4) did not register a shot in the first half of play, but forced the Green and Gold defense to stay alert with some good play in the final third.
The Gothic Knights began the second half with momentum, looking to atone for the scoreless first half. They would strike first in the 57th when Vargas finished a cross that was initially intercepted by the Beavers goalkeeper. Just a couple of minutes later, a CCNY player collected his second yellow card of the day after a push in the back, which resulted in the Beavers playing the rest of the match a man down. Second-half starter Cordone scored the second goal of the day in the 66th from a senior
Jayson Argueta (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) cross that deflected off the goalkeeper and the woodwork.
After the dismissal, NJCU took control of the match, registering 32 total shots towards CCNY's net in the second period. The next few goals all came in the final five minutes of play. In the 86th, Fallas took a shot that was blocked by a Beaver. The rebound landed at Tobon's feet and he proceeded to bury his chance for his fifth goal of the season. With two assists on the year, Tobon has 12 points going into the first conference weekend of 2023. Fallas would get his own goal two minutes later from a Duarte cross that looked almost identical to Cordone's goal. Vargas would get his second, and the match's final, in the 90th, provided by the outside of Tobon's right foot. Vargas has five goals in 2023, earning him 10 points through five matches played.
Highlights:
- NJCU outshot the Gryphons, 17-1, in shots on goal.
- Five goals is the most the Green and Gold have scored in one half this season; three straight matches with 4-plus goals.
- Tobon and Vargas are tied for fourth in the NJAC for goals scored and second and third for points scored, respectively.
Up Next:
NJCU returns home on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, at 1:00 p.m. for the first NJAC matchup of the year, as #5 Montclair State visits McNulty Field at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
