Late Goal Dooms Men’s Soccer in 1-0 Loss to NJCU in Season Opener

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Despite a perfect five saves from sophomore goalkeeper Julian Rodriguez (Whitestone, N.Y./Bayside), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team fell 1-0 to New Jersey City University after a goal in the 72nd minute on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 0, New Jersey City 1
• Records: St. Joseph's (0-1), New Jersey City (2-0)
• Location: Staten Island, N.Y. — CSI Soccer Complex

How It Happened

• The first half ended with a 0-0 score, NJCU fired eight shots in the opening 45 as opposed to St. Joseph's four with Rodriguez making four saves to preserve the deadlock.
• Scoring didn't occur until the 72nd minute, when New Jersey City found the back of the net as Jose Salazar tallied the game's lone goal.
• The Gothic Knights showed to be the aggressors throughout, as they fired 16 total shots with seven being on goal. The Bears attempted seven shots of their own, with none managing to find their target.

For the Bears

• Freshman Kenneth Garcia (Elmhurst, N.Y./Bayside) led the attack for the Bears, with a team-high three shots.
• Rodriguez, last year's Skyline Co-Rookie of the Year, was perfect in net on the day before being subbed out in the 71st minute. A minute later, NJCU scored the go-ahead goal.

The Bear Facts

• Both the Bears and Gothic Knights committed 13 fouls on the day.
• This is the second straight one-goal loss for the Bears to NJCU, as they lost 2-1 in overtime last season (Sep. 10).

Next Up for the Bears

• St. Joseph's concludes the opening weekend at the CSI Fall Classic facing host College of Staten Island tomorrow at 11 a.m. Live stats and video can be found on SJCBears.com