The Berkeley College New Jersey men's soccer team continued to push towards a possible berth in the upcoming USCAA National Tournament, as the Knights picked up their seventh consecutive victory, defeating the Bulldogs of Briarcliffe College by a score of 3-0 on a cloudy and cold Saturday afternoon at New Jersey Institute of Technology. With the win, Berkeley improved to 10-6 on the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 6-3.
Prior to the contest, the Berkeley College Department of Athletics - including Director of Athletics Andy DeStephano, Athletic Coordinator Stephen Spagnoli, Head Coach Bruno Ferreira, and the entire New Jersey men's soccer team - took a few moments to honor the team's three seniors - Raymond Scalfani, Steven Ortiz, and Nuno Santos. Each senior was presented with a commemorative plaque honoring their years of service to the program.
After the emotional ceremony concluded, it was time to play soccer, and the Knights and Bulldogs - knowing the enormity of the game - came out trying vehemently to notch that first goal. Each team had their opportunities to get on the board, as Berkeley registered nine shots in the first half to Briarcliffe's eight. The Knights appeared to have plenty of solid chances to find the net, but the team was unable to score, and the zeroes remained on the scoreboard as the first half came to a close.
In the second half, a red card that was issued to Bulldogs netminder Yessid Nijim in the 60th minute seemed to be the turning point of the contest. The Knights took advantage, netting a goal on Briarcliffe substitute stopgap Nelson Caicedo at 61:50 when Kevin Ortiz tipped in a pass from Juan Faciolince. That gave the Knights an important 1-0 edge.
Berkeley expanded its lead from there, getting two more goals - one by Pedro Dos Santos at 76:31 (from Bryan Costa) and another from Scalfani at 87:23 (from Santos and Steven Ortiz) to ice the game. The final goal was symbolic - as all three seniors combined for the tally, with Scalfani receiving passes from his senior teammates Santos and Ortiz on the goal.
Knights goalkeepers Jonathan Pena-Ortiz and Cristian Vidreiro combined for the shutout, with Pena-Ortiz playing the first half and making four saves, and Vidreiro manning the net during the second session and stopping two shots.
The Knights out-shot the Bulldogs 25-15, and Berkeley held a slight 4-3 edge in the corner kick category. Briarcliffe was whistled for 18 fouls, while the Knights committed 13.
Berkeley will now enjoy three days off before returning to action on Wednesday afternoon, as the team takes to the road to battle Cabrini. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 4:00pm.
