New Jersey United AC Defeats Kingston Stockade FC 1-0
By Anesa Feratovic and Miguel Freire/New Jersey United AC
In their second meeting of the season, New Jersey United AC emerged victorious with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kingston Stockade FC.
It was an evenly fought contest throughout the duration of the 90 minutes, but it was the Garden State side that traveled home with three more points in the North Atlantic Conference standings.
The first half saw no goals, but certainly not for lack of scoring opportunities. Kingston Stockade nearly scored the first goal within the first ten minutes when Hugo Guerra found himself in a one-on-one situation with United goalkeeper Max Pfaffman. However, the outstretched leg of Pfaffman denied Guerra, marking the first of his five saves of the night.
As the first half proceeded, New Jersey hit the woodwork twice on separate occasions but could not find the back of the net, leaving the score 0-0 at halftime.
At the start of the second half, both sides had at least one good opportunity with the first coming to Kingston. Mateo Marra found himself with a wide-open header off a corner kick, but could not make contact with the ball, seeing the chance go to waste.
Moments later, New Jersey United slowly but surely started breaking down the opposing defense on multiple occasions. The first chance was presented to Jeremy Klinger in a one-on-one situation, but could not direct his shot on target. In the minutes to follow, Diego Navas forced Stockade goalkeeper Lorenzo Nunez into his first real save of the match on a shot aiming towards the bottom right corner of the goal. The shot met the glove of Nunez who parried his shot wide of the post to keep the game scoreless.
The pressure eventually paid off in the 63rd minute when New Jersey United finally found the back of the net through Navas. Kingston failed to clear their lines, allowing Navas to pounce on the opportunity. With space inside the 18-yard box, Navas maneuvered around the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into an empty net, proving to be the difference-maker on the night.
Navas, whose goal marks his third of the season, was also the goal scorer in the reverse fixture between the two sides back on May 11.
“It was an honor to get my third goal of the season,” Navas said. “I do it for the team, it’s all about us succeeding together and everything we do is united.”
Navas has been a daunting sight for the New York side as he is responsible for lifting New Jersey United past the Stockade in both meetings.
From that point forward, United held off the Stockade for the remainder of the game, securing their clean sheet which was their fourth of the season. Pfaffman commented on the victory and clean sheet stating he was happy with the three points and shutout.
“The boys fought hard for ninety-plus minutes and stuck together to the end,” Pfaffman said. “It was a good experience playing in this atmosphere and it gave us that extra point to prove.”
New Jersey United now has 12 points in the North Atlantic Conference and can finish the week as high as second place or as low as third, depending on Hartford City’s result on June 16.
However, the focus shifts towards arguably United’s biggest game of the season next week. It is a matchup with another New York side in Syracuse FC on home soil. In the first meeting, United came away as 3-0 winners in dominant fashion. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, June 23rd at 5:00 pm. Fans can catch the game at St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, NJ or tune in live on New Jersey United’s YouTube channel.
But for now, New Jersey United will celebrate their fourth victory of the campaign in their first-ever season.
New Jersey United head coach Fernando Barboto stated, “This win is a pivotal moment of the season.”
Photo Credit: Anesa Feratovic/New Jersey United AC
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