NJCU QUALIFIES FOR ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON; FOURTH SEEDED GOTHIC KNIGHTS TO HOST STATEN ISLAND
Monday, November 7, 2011 (Women's Soccer)
NJCU QUALIFIES FOR ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON; FOURTH SEEDED GOTHIC KNIGHTS TO HOST STATEN ISLAND
CENTERVILLE, MA (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's soccer team is heading to the post-season for the third year in a row. After a 13-7-0 regular season and 4-4 mark in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, the Gothic Knights have been selected as the No. 4 seed in the 2011 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Metro women's soccer championship field, released on Monday afternoon.
For the second time this season, NJCU will play the College of Staten Island (13-4-1), the No. 5 seed in the tournament, in an ECAC Quarterfinal contest on Wednesday, November 9 at 2 p.m. at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field in Jersey City.
The winner of the NJCU/Staten Island tilt will meet top-seeded New York University (12-6-0) in the ECAC Metro semifinals on Saturday, November 12 at Gaelic Park on the campus of Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY. The championship game will be on Sunday, November 13, also at Gaelic Park. The start times for the semifinals and finals will be announced on Wednesday. NYU received a bye into the semifinals.
"We're very pleased that in my six years here, we have made it to the ECACs the last three seasons, as well as the two years in the NJAC Tournament," said sixth-year head coach ROBERT BIELAN, the 2011 NJAC Coach of the Year. "We're very excited to play our first game at home and look forward to making a good showing."
The remainder of the seven-team bracket features #2 seeded Richard Stockton College (13-6-4) versus #7 St. Joseph's College (LI) (10-9-1) in Galloway, NJ and third-seeded Mount Saint Mary College (NY) (17-3-1) challenging #6 SUNY Old Westbury (9-8-1) in Newburgh, NY. Both of those quarterfinal games will also be played on November 9.
After starting the season at 9-0-0, the Knights qualified for the NJAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed for the second season in a row, before losing on October 26 in the conference quarterfinals at Stockton.
NJCU will serve as the No. 4 seed in the ECAC tournament for the second straight year. Last season, the Knights tied Brockport State, 1-1 in two overtimes in Jersey City before the Golden Eagles advanced on penalty kicks, 5-3.
The Gothic Knights will be making their third post-season appearance in the history of the program and own an all-time 1-1-1 post-season record. The first appearance came in 2009 when NJCU, the #3 seed in the ECAC Tournament, pounded Mount Saint Mary, 7-2, in a quarterfinal home game before dropping a 2-1 decision to #2 William Paterson University in the ECAC semifinals, also hosted by NYU.
Meanwhile, Staten Island finished the regular season by posting a 7-1-1 ledger in its final nine games, and won the City University of New York Athletic Conference title on November 5 in penalty kicks, 4-3, over John Jay College, following a 0-0 tie. The CUNYAC does not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
NJCU leads the all-time series with the Dolphins, 6-1, with a 29-10 goal differential, and has won the last four meetings, including a 5-2 triumph on September 13 in Jersey City. Senior First-Team All-NJAC performer JENNIFER ALBUJA (Union City, NJ/Hoboken) registered a hat trick in the win and senior striker JULIA CASERES (Union, NJ/Union), also an All-NJAC selection, tallied two goals and one assist in the rout. NJCU has outscored CSI 23-3 in the last four meetings.
The Knights are 8-2 at home this season, 18-3-1 in its last 22 home games since 2009 and 25-5-1 in Jersey City in the last three full seasons. NJCU is 3-0 all-time against CSI at home.
If NJCU advances, it will face NYU for only the second time in program history. NYU defeated NJCU, 6-0, on September 14, 2004, but that contest occurred before the Knights became the consistent program that has accomplished a 49-33-1 mark in the last four seasons and a 40-23-1 ledger and .633 winning percentage since 2009.
Should NJCU advance to the finals, it has played three of the other four schools on the other half of the bracket. The Knights lost twice to Richard Stockton, the only other NJAC school in the field, dropping a 3-0 decision on October 1 and a 5-2 decision in the NJAC Quarterfinals, in a game that was tied 1-1 in the 71st minute.
NJCU is 3-1 in overtime this season, with its only loss a 1-0 result in double overtime at Mount Saint Mary, the third seed, in Newburgh, NY on October 6. The Knights rolled past Old Westbury on the road, 4-0, on September 18. NJCU's game against St. Joseph's on September 9 was cancelled due to flooding.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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2011 EASTERN COLLEGE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE DIVISION III METRO WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP |
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QUARTERFINALS (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9) |
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GAME #1: #2 Richard Stockton College (13-6-4) vs. #7 St. Joseph's College (LI) (10-9-1) |
7:30 p.m. (Galloway, NJ) |
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GAME #2: #3 Mount Saint Mary College (NY) (17-3-1) vs. #6 SUNY Old Westbury (9-8-1) |
4:30 p.m. (Newburgh, NY) |
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GAME #3: #4 New Jersey City University (13-7-0) vs. #5 College of Staten Island (13-4-1) |
2 p.m. (Jersey City, NJ) |
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#1 New York University (12-6) |
Bye |
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SEMIFINALS (SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12) at Gaelic Park, Manhattan College |
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GAME #4: Winner of GAME #1 vs. Winner of GAME #2 |
TBD (Riverdale, NY) |
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GAME #5: Winner of GAME #4 vs. #1 New York University (12-6) |
TBD |
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FINALS (SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13) |
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GAME #7: Winner of GAME #4 vs. Winner of GAME #5 |
TBD |
