EWING, N.J. – The New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's soccer team came up just short in a hard-fought New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup, falling 2–1 to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Lions Stadium.

The Gothic Knights (8-6-2, 1-4-2 NJAC) were outshot 20–9 overall and 10–4 on target by the Lions (8-4-4, 5-1-1 NJAC). TCNJ also held the edge in corner kicks (6–1) and committed less fouls (15–9). Senior goalkeeper Sophia Mannino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) started the first half and recorded one save, while rookie Jessica Martin (Union, N.J./David Brearley) took over in the second, posting a season-high seven saves. For TCNJ, Ellen Williams made three saves in the win.

Six Gothic Knights played the full 90 minutes—Gineth Arias Martinez (Soacha Cundinamarca, Colombia/Institución Educativa Leon XII), Isabella Ramirez (Elmwood Park, N.J./Elmwood Park Memorial), Aubrey Gulbin (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood), Natalia Jaramillo (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield), Gabriella Sharpe (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne), and Kyanah-Belle Jean-Louis (Montreal, Canada/Washington Township (N.J.)). Arias Martinez led NJCU offensively with a team-high four shots, including two on goal.

Both teams opened aggressively, trading two shots apiece in the first five minutes, though none found the target. Mannino made her lone save in the 16th minute, while Williams was called into action in the 24th minute to stop a shot from Arias Martinez. Despite strong play on both ends, the match remained scoreless at halftime.

Martin immediately made an impact in the second half, turning away two TCNJ attempts in the 47th minute to keep the game level. NJCU broke through in the 54th minute when Jaramillo connected with Ramirez, who buried her third goal of the season to give the Gothic Knights a 1–0 lead. The assist was Jaramillo's third of the season as well. The Lions quickly ramped up the pressure, firing off three consecutive shots over the next three minutes, all stopped by Martin.

TCNJ finally equalized in the 75th minute as Emily Weidner found the back of the net. The Lions then completed the comeback in the 87th minute when Ari Keily set up Alyssa Alfano for the game-winner. NJCU's late push came up short, and the match concluded with a second yellow card issued to NJCU's team.

UP NEXT:
NJCU returns home to celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 25, hosting Rutgers-Newark in NJAC action at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m.

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