JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's soccer team secured a hard-fought victory against Ramapo, winning 1-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Robert L. McNutly Memorial Soccer Field. This marks NJCU's first conference win and their first victory since September 24.

The match was tightly contested, with NJCU (3-4-6, 1-2-2 NJAC) outshooting Ramapo (2-9-1, 0-5 NJAC) 15-12 overall, though both teams had 12 shots on target. The fouls were evenly distributed at 10 apiece, and both teams received three yellow cards.

NJCU dominated the first half, taking a 7-2 advantage in shots and leading 2-1 in shots on goal. An early opportunity arose in the sixth minute when fifth-year forward Kim Brites (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) took a penalty kick after a foul in the box, but she missed high.

In the 20th minute, senior back Samantha Szymanski (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) found Brites, who skillfully directed the ball to the high-right corner of the net to redeem herself, giving NJCU a 1-0 lead that they maintained through halftime.

Ramapo came out strong in the second half, outshooting NJCU 10-8 and putting five shots on target. However, junior goalkeeper Sophia Mannino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township), who played the full 90 minutes, made crucial saves, recording five of her six saves in this half.

Highlights:
-Brites scored her eighth goal of the season and the 35th of her career. The Carteret, N.J. native now ranks fourth in the NJCU career-goals record and tied-fifth in game-winning goals (6).
-Szymanski recorded her first assist of the 2024 season and the second of her career.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights will host Rutgers-Camden for an 11:00 a.m. NJAC matchup on Saturday, Oct. 19, where they will honor five seniors. Additionally, NJCU will celebrate Alumni Weekend, bringing together Gothic Knight alumni for the festivities.