Boxscore

Galloway, NJ – Stockton University (5-0) scored twice in the second half and downed Alvernia (2-3) 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. Nick Cristea (Medford/Shawnee) tallied both goals for the Ospreys as they stretched their winning streak to five straight games. The Ospreys have won their first five games for the first time since 2006.
 
In a scoreless first half, chances were difficult to come by as the teams were evenly matched. The teams fired off 11 shots each, with Stockton holding a slim 8-7 margin in shots on goal for the game. Eucario Solano (Galloway/Absegami) had two good opportunities but came away empty in the opening stanza.
 
In the 10th minute, he took a pass from Bobby Riordan (Tinton Falls/Monmouth) but his shot was kicked aside. Then with less than six minutes remaining in the half, Solano fired a shot that sailed high and the teams stayed tied at 0-0 through the half.
 
Stockton finally broke through against the Golden Wolves on a well-executed play in the 55th minute. Solano secured the ball and passed to Cristea who then worked a nice give-and-go with Riordan and hit the net for the 1-0 lead.

Cristea later add the insurance marker on a penalty kick. With 1:35 to play, Christian Bik (Vineland/St. Augustine Prep) was fouled inside the box, resulting in a free shot for Stockton. Cristea then sealed the contest with his team-leading fourth goal of the season to widen the gap to two scores. The defense held off Alvernia for the final minute and prevailed by the 2-0 final.
 
Goalkeeper Kellen Groover (Florence/Life Center Academy) posted his second shutout of the season with a seven save effort. Zach Rider kicked out six shots for Alvernia in net.
 
Stockton will take to the road for their next match on Wednesday, when they will travel to face Arcadia in a non-conference match at 7 pm.