New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete feature, Eddy Tejada
SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Defending New Jersey Athletic Conference champion and #16/19 ranked Rutgers University-Camden broke open a scoreless game with four goals in a span of 2:46, with the first two coming just 37 seconds apart and the final two in 16 seconds as the Scarlet Raptors clinched the #2 seed in the 2012 NJAC Tournament, defeating New Jersey City University, 5-0, in the 2012 regular season finale for both schools played on October 24 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.

Camden, ranked #16 by D3soccer.com and #19 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, including a No. 3 listing in the NCAA South Atlantic Region, wins its fourth consecutive game and is unbeaten in its last eight games, while improving to 14-2-2 and 6-2-1 in the NJAC. Camden will receive a bye into the league semifinals, and a home game against the No. 3 or 6 seed.
 
NJCU's late season slide saw the Gothic Knights (11-9, 2-7 NJAC) lose their third straight game and suffer its fifth loss in the final six games following a 10-4 start to the season. NJCU finishes with six points in the league standings. After losing its first six games by one goal each, the Knights have dropped their last three games by a combined 10 goals.
 
Camden leads the all-time series, 20-8-8 and owns a 6-0-4 record in the last 10 meetings. The Raptors outshot NJCU, 30-12 (13-2 in the scoreless first half) and had 29 different players see action. Camden also had an 8-1 edge on corner kicks.
 
Prior to the game, NJCU honored its three seniors: midfielder JOEL DELAO (Guttenberg, NJ/County Prep), 2010 All-NJAC pick at midfielder NANA KOFI KUSI (Newark, NJ/Kumasi Academy (Ghana) and two-time All-NJAC performer and center midfielder EDUARDO TEJADA (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington).  
 
Five different players logged a goal and each goal was assisted by a separate booter. Junior forward Mitch Grotti (Milmay, NJ/Millville), junior defender Bobby Foster (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township), senior midfielder Zak Piccoline (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township), freshman forward Mike Ryan (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and freshman midfielder Grant Taylor (Tewksbury, NJ/West Morris-Mendham) each scored for the Raptors.
 
Ryan and Taylor each had one assist for a three-point day; Ryan's three points gave him 30 on the season. Camden also received single assists from sophomore midfielder Eric Cutry (Medford Lakes, NJ/Shawnee), sophomore midfielder Joe Auleta (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) and senior midfielder Casey Doyle (West Orange, NJ/Seton Hall Prep).
 
Camden utilized three goalkeepers in the contest to preserve the shutout. Junior Mike Randall (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) made two saves in 62:32 of action before being relieved by freshman Eric Bumbera (Wall, NJ/Wall), who played 20:26 without a stop. Newcomer Emilio Rodriguez made one save in the final 7:02.
 
NJCU reserve rookie goalkeeper KEVIN FUENTES (West New York, NJ/Memorial) made this third straight start and made seven saves in defeat.
 
NJCU, played without four starters, including junior keeper SHELDON PARKINSON (New Rochelle, NY/Herbert H. Lehman (Bronx, NY), rookie center midfielder ALEC METSCH (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) and sophomore midfielder MARCO AVELLA (Union, NJ/Union), held Camden off the board in the first half, despite the visitors having 11 more shots. Fuentes had three saves in the first half.
 
But the game quickly escaped the Knights as the Raptors scored goals at 52:21, 52:58, 54:51 and 55:07 to turn a scoreless game into a 4-0 rout in the blink of any eye.
 
Grotti scored the first goal, his 10^th of the season, and Cutry did the heavy lifting to manufacture the tally, beating several defenders on a long run from midfield to the right side of the box before feeding Grotti in the middle of the box, where he stood unmarked and easily knocked in an uncontested shot. The assist was Cutry's first.
 
Just 37 seconds later, Camden struck again. After a foul, Auleta aired a long free kick from midfield to the left side of the box, where the 6-foot-3 Foster leaped and headed a shot over the outstretched arms of Fuentes. It was his second goal of the season for Foster and fifth assist for Auleta.
 
Less than two minutes later, the Raptors made it 3-0. Ryan had a shot from the close left wing saved by Fuentes before Piccoline immediately put away the rebound for his second goal of the season and Ryan's fourth assist.
 
The three goals in a span of 2:30 proved to be the 10^th fastest three consecutive goals by one team in known Division III history. But just 16 seconds later, the Raptors added a fourth, as Taylor slid a pass onto the left wing from midfield and an unmarked Ryan buried a one-timer on the far side for a 4-0 edge and his 13^th marker of the season. Taylor's assist was his third and the two goals in 16 seconds equaled the 16^th fastest consecutive goals on record in Division III history.
 
Camden capped the scoring at the 74:01 mark as Taylor scored his first collegiate goal, connecting from 25 yards out after Doyle created a breakaway with a thru ball up the middle of the field, contributing his first assist this year.
 
Junior defender MOHAMED CONTEH (Trenton, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro North) led NJCU with four shots and had two of the Knights' three on goal.
 
Despite the disappointing final two weeks of the 54^th season of Gothic Knight men's soccer, NJCU is eligible for the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament due to its winning record. The announcement for the eight-team field will be made on Monday, November 7.