Jersey City, NJ - Taking advantage of a man-advantage for the final 78 minutes of the contest, Montclair State capitalized, twice scoring back-to-back goals in clusters as MSU defeated NJCU, 6-0, in the final New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season for both teams at the Robert L. McNulty Memorial Soccer Field.

Montclair, ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division III South Atlantic Region by the NSCAA and currently receiving 11 points in the D3soccer.com Top 25 national poll, outshot NJCU, 31-2. MSU will be the No. 3 seed in the NJAC Tournament and will host sixth-seeded William Paterson in a quarterfinal game at 1:00 pm on October 29. The shutout was the 11th in 18 games for Montclair and its third in a row.

After NJCU finished 10th in the conference standings the previous four seasons (2012-15), the Gothic Knights (6-8-1, 2-7-0 NJAC) end the 2016 league campaign seventh with six points; the top six teams qualify for the postseason tournament.

Early in the 13th minute, NJCU senior center midfielder Kaydee Murphy was issued a red card when a shot off a corner kick hit her in the hand while she was defending the goal line. That led to a penalty kick for MSU senior back ERIN SULLIVAN and she netted the game winner. Senior forward JENNIE HORNSTRA later scored her 10th goal of the season in the 35th minute.

Junior midfielder DANIELLA GRECO and freshman forward EMILY BEENDERS each followed with braces to put the game away. Greco, who also assisted on the Hornstra tally and had a five-point effort, scored twice late in the second half to make it a 4-0 lead at halftime before Beenders bagged two goals in a span of 1:19 late in the second period.

NJCU was without outstanding junior goalkeeper Paula Viana who missed her second straight game with an injury. With Viana out, freshman Joelle Paris, normally a reserve forward, made seven saves under considerable pressure. Sophomore MOLLY BARROW made one save to give Montclair the clean sheet.

Montclair, which has won two of the last four NJAC conference titles, received single assists from five different players-Greco, junior back BROOKE BEATTY, freshman midfielder RYELLE SANSONE, freshman back CASSIDY MAZZONE and sophomore midfielder BRYNN MCDONALD.

Eight different Red Hawks had multiple shots. Greco and Beenders led the way with five shots each and four apiece on goal.