New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | William Paterson University got the only goal of the game early in the 56^th minute after a scoreless first half, and took advantage of a huge break in the 85^th minute when New Jersey City University's potential game-tying goal was blocked on the goal line by an NJCU offensive player as the Pioneers survived for a 1-0 victory in the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both schools played Saturday afternoon at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
WPU (3-3, 1-0 NJAC), outshot NJCU, 19-17 and had a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. The Pioneers defeated NJCU (4-2, 0-1 NJAC) for the fifth year in a row and the third time by a one-goal margin and leads the all-time series 32-19-4. The loss snaps NJCU's four-game winning streak.
 
The Pioneers had lost three of their last four coming in. All six games played by WPU this season have been decided by just one goal.
 
After a scoreless first 45 minutes, each team had 11 shots in the second half, but WPU got the difference maker at the 55:09 mark. Senior defender Andrew Tauriello (Stockton, NJ/Hunterdon Central Regional) launched a long throw in from the right sideline over the NJCU defense towards the left post, where freshman defender Aken Pierre (North Plainfield, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) gathered a loose ball and put a short chip inside the post for his first collegiate goal. The assist was the second of the year for Tauriello.
 
NJCU would have tied it at the 84:48 mark when sophomore forward RAPHAEL ARAUJO (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield), the reigning NJAC Offensive Player of the Week and NCAA scoring leader, took possession after a scramble from 10 yards in the middle of the box. But his shot, which would have gone in, hit senior midfielder NANA KOFI KUSI (Newark, NJ/Kumasi Academy (Ghana), who was standing adjacent to the left post on the goal line. It was NJCU's final shot of the game.
 
The unlucky play snapped Araujo's school record streak of consecutive games with a goal to start a season at five contests. He had seven shots for the Knights.
 
In defeat, reserve freshman goalkeeper KEVIN FUENTES (West New York, NJ/Memorial), who entered the contest with 10 saves in four starts, made a career-high nine stops, but suffered his first loss (4-1-0). WPU sophomore keeper Santiago Mesa (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) made three saves to record his first shutout of the year as NJCU failed to score for the first time in 2012.
 
Fuentes also made several quality stops to take away shots on target by WPU's leading scorer, sophomore Marcus Hackett (Montclair, NJ/Immaculate Conception), who had a game-high nine shots, including five on goal. Fuentes stopped a Hackett shot on the left post at 23:12, and another quality scoring chance was negated at 81:29 as Fuentes stopped Hackett in a one-on-one well off the line in front of the left post, before clearing the carom away with his legs while lying on his side in the box. Fuentes also tipped a shot by Hackett up and off the crossbar at the 64:16 point.
 
Sophomore defender EDWIN UMANZOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) cleared a cross out of the goalmouth at the 76:37 mark. Freshman center midfielder ALEC METSCH (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) kept the game scoreless with 8:54 left in the first half when he broke up a 1-on-1 for the Pioneers in the box.
 
NJCU's best first-half scoring chance came in the 28^th minute when sophomore midfielder ANDREW LOPES (Union, NJ/Union) dribbled into the box but his breakaway bid was blocked on the right post before he could get off a shot.
 
NJCU returns to action on Monday, September 17 at 4 p.m. when it hosts John Jay College in a non-conference game in Jersey City. The Pioneers hosts #12 ranked Montclair State University in Wayne on Wednesday, September 19 at 7 p.m.