Men's Soccer Season Ends in ECAC Metro
Semifinals
JERSEY CITY, N.J.(11/11/06) - New Jersey City
University opened up a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, and
held on, as the top-seeded Gothic Knights won 17 games for the
third consecutive year and advanced to the ECAC Finals, with a 2-1
victory over #4 seeded Kean University in the 2006 Eastern College
Athletic Conference Division III Metro semifinals on Saturday at
the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
With the win, NJCU improves to 17-5-2 overall, while Kean's season
ends at 10-8-5. The Gothic Knights win 17 games in a season for the
fourth time in six years, to tie the single-season record for
victories (2001, 2004, 2005). NJCU is unbeaten against Kean in the
last four meetings, with three victories.
NJCU will face #2 seed Rutgers University-Camden (12-4-6), 2-1
winners over Richard Stockton College in the other semifinal, on
Sunday, November 12 at 1 p.m. in Jersey City, NJ in the ECAC
championship game. NJCU, the 2004 ECAC champions, advance to the
ECAC finals for the third time in its history (2001, 2004). It will
be the third meeting between NJCU and Camden in 18 days.
NJCU opened up a 1-0 lead at 38:51 of the first period, when senior
midfielder Juan Vera (Belleville, N.J.) scored his
first goal of the season as he buried a shot into the lower right
corner off a cross into the box from the right by sophomore
midfielder Edison Bilbao (Carteret, N.J.).
The Gothic Knights scored the decisive second goal at 68:27 of the
second half, as senior midfielder Omar Ali (Bayonne,
N.J.) delivered a corner kick into the box that sophomore
midfielder Patrick Thomas (Roselle, N.J.) headed
in for what would prove to be the game-winner.
Kean closed the gap to 2-1 exactly 3:30 later, as junior midfielder
Damien Serafin (Wallington, N.J.) knocked in a
loose ball on the right side off of a scramble at 71:57. Junior
forward Anthony Tuesta (Clifton, N.J.) was
credited with the assist. After that goal, the Cougars were held
without a shot the remainder of the contest.
The one-goal cushion was enough for the NJCU defense, which limited
Kean to only five shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Bruce
Neves (Newark, N.J.) made four saves, while Kean junior
keeper Kyle Crego (Ocean City, N.J.) rejected 11
shots. NJCU outshot Kean, 17-11, including 13-5 on net.
