New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior defender CHELSEA SPETHMANN (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights-Wood Ridge) had a goal and an assist and senior center midfielder BRIANNA TAYLOR (Linden, NJ/Linden) notched the game-winner with 12:15 remaining in the second half as New Jersey City University rebounded from a 1-0 deficit at the half to knock off St. Joseph's College (LI) in the second meeting of the season between the clubs, 2-1, in a non-conference  women's soccer game on October 15 at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.
 
NJCU (6-9-2) defeats St. Joseph's (9-6-3) for just the second time in 10 all-time meetings (8-2, SJC) and outshot the Golden Eagles, 19-14, including 12-8 in a second half played almost entirely under a light rainfall after an overcast but warm opening 45 minutes. NJCU snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory.
 
It was the second time the schools have squared off this season with the Golden Eagles blanking NJCU, 3-0, on September 7 on a turf Alumni Field in Newark, NJ during the opening round of the Scarlet Raider Women's Soccer Classic.
 
NJCU got a strong defensive effort by sophomores DEVON WILLIAMS (Neptune City, NJ/Neptune) and AMANDA FILIPPONE (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley)—a usual forward who played back in the game—along with senior twin sisters CHELSEA SPETHMANN and AMANDA SPETHMANN (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights-Wood Ridge) and rookie KAYLA LOCKARD (Kearny, NJ/Kearny). All five played a full 90 minutes of defense. Junior KARLA REYES-ABRIL (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) also contributed to the defensive effort with 45 minutes of first half action. St. Joseph's only had two shots on goal in the first 45 minutes and three in the second period.
 
Freshman ALICIA WEBER (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), making her second career start in place of injured All-Conference sophomore goalkeeper BRITTANY HOFFMAN (McMurray, PA/Peters Township), made four saves. St. Joseph's junior keeper Kayla Flowers (Patchogue, NY) also made four saves.
 
The only goal of the first half came on a defensive mistake. The Eagles played a long ball up field and Weber tried to clear the ball on a wet field just outside the top of the box but missed the ball. That left an open net for freshman forward Jessica Cordano (Oakdale, NY/Connetquot), who was following the pass and tucked her first collegiate goal into the net.
 
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, NJCU controlled possession for roughly 75 percent of the game and registered the game-tying goal just under seven minutes into the second half. CHELSEA SPETHMANN made a long throw in from the far right sideline that bounced off several players in front of the right post and caromed out of the box. Alertly, she followed the rebound and from just outside the top of the 18 on the right side of the box, struck a low shot with pace that beat Flowers inside the near left post at 51:55. The unassisted goal game-tying goal was CHELSEA SPETHMANN's second of the season and eighth of her career.
 
Weber kept the game tied at the 54:00 mark when she redirected a breakaway chance by SJC junior midfielder Samantha Garcia (Central Islip, NY/St. John the Baptist) just wide of the far left post, coming out into the middle of the box to challenge the opposing player and make the save. Two minutes later, Flowers made a nice diving stop of a Williams shot on the near left post to keep it tied.
 
NJCU finally got the go-ahead goal at the 77:45 mark. CHELSEA SPETHMANN uncorked a shot from just outside the 18 that was blocked and caromed right onto the feet of Taylor, who blasted a shot inside the far left post past a diving Flowers for a 2-1 advantage. It was her ninth goal of the season and CHELSEA SPETHMANN was credited with her third assist.
 
Less than two minutes later, Weber made another key save to preserve the lead, tipping a shot by freshman forward Kiara Foster (Hauppauge, NY/Smithtown Christian) from the close left wing up and off the crossbar, and the chance was eventually cleared by the NJCU defense.
 
Cordano, who poked a shot just past the near right post in the 60^th minute, had the Eagles' final shot of the game with five seconds left off a corner kick but it was blocked as NJCU prevailed.
 
The Eagles were whistled for 10 offsides—all in the first half. NJCU had a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks. Taylor and CHELSEA SPETHMANN had five shots apiece for NJCU while sophomore forward OLYMPIA SCIORTINO (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) attempted four shots. Cordano led the visitor with four shots.
 
NJCU will wrap up its 2012 home schedule on Saturday, October 20 at 1 p.m. when it hosts nationally ranked The College of New Jersey in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match. It will be Senior Day as NJCU will honor its five-woman senior class—Taylor, the Spethmann twins, midfielder ANGELICA GLOVER (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) and injured forward KELSEY PLASKON (Clifton, NJ/Queen of Peace). The Eagles are at SUNY Old Westbury on October 17 in a Skyline Conference game.