New Jersey City University Athletics

WEEKLY AWARDS SUMMARY

PITMAN NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University junior goalkeeper RUBEN MORALES (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after backing up a Gothic Knight defense that opened the 2013 NJAC schedule with a 2-1 road victory at William Paterson University on September 21.
 
Morales, a first-year transfer to NJCU from Mercer County Community College, wins the award for week four of the 2013 season after making five saves in the key road win against the Pioneers in his first-ever NJAC start. WPU, picked fifth in the league's preseason coaches poll (NJCU was 10^th), entered having received votes in the most current National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III South Atlantic Region poll.
 
Morales, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound Health Sciences major, made several key saves to preserve the win. The most notable came with the game scoreless just two minutes into the second half, when he made a point-blank save on a chance by WPU forward Leandro Lemache. The Pioneers' lone goal was scored off a corner kick in the 87th minute with NJCU leading 2-0.
 
"I'm a big fan of Ruben's," said second-year head coach Patrick Snyder. "I've known him for four years. I watched him play high school and club ball and recruited him to Mercer [when Snyder coached there prior to NJCU]. This is the kind of game we brought him in for. He has a lot of big-game experience. He has taken well to Coach [Michael] Coughlin's work and we have seen him improve."
 
"A lot of credit also goes to [freshman goalkeeper] NICK NARDONE (North Arlington, NJ/Queen of Peace), who is not only his competition, but his biggest fan. The two guys push each other every day in training and it's showing now with their efforts on the field."
 
Thus far in 2013, Morales has played in five games (four starts) and owns a 1.06 goals against average in 425:53 of action. He has allowed just five goals while facing 58 shots for an .815 save percentage. He has set aside 22 saves with a 3-2 won-loss record.
 
Morales currently leads the NJAC in save percentage. He is second in saves per game (4.40), fifth in saves and eighth in the league in goals against average.
 
Morales is the first Gothic Knight to claim the league's Defensive Player of the Week since Scott Modzelewski in week 11 of the 2007 NCAA Sweet 16 season, and the first NJCU goalkeeper to earn the honor since Andre Viola did so in week seven of that 2007 campaign.