JERSEY CITY, NJ | For the first time since 2009, the New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's soccer team toppled #14 Montclair State University, 4-3, behind a hat trick by Augusto Vieira (Kearny, N.J./Kearny), at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The win snaps a 15-game losing skid to the Red Hawks and marks the highest tally ever scored against Montclair. The Red Hawks came into today's game with just two goals allowed all season.
NJCU (4-5-2, 1-0) tallied 10 shots and put four on target while Montclair (6-1-2, 0-1) peppered Camilo Pascual Verdu to the tune of 29 shots. Pascual Verdu was incredible between the pipes for the Gothic Knights, making 10 saves, his second-highest tally of the season. Vieira secured his first career hat trick and led the team with three shots.
The Gothic Knights shocked the crowd five minutes into the game when Maximilian Bzuikiewicz (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) headed the floated pass from Trisan Bastos into the back of the net to stun the Red Hawks and take a 1-0 lead. The lead for the Gothic Knights wouldn't last long as the Red Hawks equalized play just two minutes later. A cross in by Carlos Bedoya bounced through the NJCU defense and onto the foot of Danny Tobon who kicked it home to knot the game at one.
Montclair kept the pressure on, however the NJCU defensive unit was up for the task as they continued to absorb Montclair's attacks. After the offensive onslaught by Montclair, the Gothic Knights used the break in the action to surge forward and strike again. Kevin Alves (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) curled a cross in to the front post which found the head of Vieira who headed into the near post to put NJCU into the pole position again. However, much like the first lead change, the Red Hawks quickly leveled play. In the 39th, Montclair tied the game at two when Jeremias Montero hit a floating header to the back post.
The Gothic Knights came out of the halftime break and quickly picked up where they left off. Vieira struck again just six minutes into the second stanza when Dom Celi Jr. (Newton, N.J./Newton) sent in a low cross to Bzuikiewicz who one-timed it to the back post for Vieira to tap it in. Once again, Montclair went on the offensive but Pascual Verdu was unbeatable between the pipes, making incredible save after incredible save to keep NJCU ahead. It was another counter attack in the 80th that allowed NJCU to find its fourth marker of the game. Bzuikiewicz broke down Montclair's defense and slipped a pass to Vieira who, once again, was in the right spot at the right time to complete the hat trick.
Montclair struggled to break down the back line for the Gothic Knights as they were put in a position they haven't been in all season long. With 30 seconds left in the game, Montclair found the back of the net once more before having a last ditch effort corner kick that was cleared out of play to give NJCU a massive upset victory.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to play on Wednesday, October 1 when they hit the road to Glassboro, NJ to take on #6 Rowan University at 7:00 pm.
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