JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Senior back Marcus Hackett (Montclair, N.J./Immaculate Conception) scored both goals as the William Paterson men's soccer team (9-7-2, 3-4-1 NJAC) earned a berth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament, finishing the regular season with a 2-1 victory at New Jersey City (1-15-4, 0-8-1 NJAC) Oct. 29.
 
The sixth-seeded Pioneers will play at third-seeded Rutgers-Camden in the first round Saturday, Nov. 1, at 3:00 p.m.
 
The Gothic Knights got on the board at the 20:57 mark when WP junior back Aken Pierre (North Plainfield, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) lost possession of the ball on the left side of the box on a challenge by junior midfielder Aboubacar Diawara, and trying to recover while lying on the turf, Pierre stuck out his leg. Subsequently, Diawara was tripped up from behind, was awarded a penalty kick and buried a shot into the left side of the net.
 
WP had its own chances in the first half. In the 14th minute, NJCU junior keeper Tyler Krychkowski made a one-handed save of a header by senior midfielder Omar Jallow (Union City, N.J./Union City), reaching behind him to keep the ball out of the net. Krychkowski later saved a shot by Hackett in the 33rd minute, backpedaling towards the goal on the right wing after a defensive giveaway.
 
The Pioneers were able to break through and capitalize on an NJCU mistake in the 59th minute. After a trip in the box by an NJCU defender at nearly the same spot on the pitch as the call against Pierre in the first half, Hackett was awarded a penalty kick and converted to even the contest.
 
Krychkowski made a diving save in the 67th minute, and then kept a near own-goal out of the net on a mishit ball back to the keeper, heading it out of play four minutes later.
 
When Jallow was issued a red card in the 79th minute for a dangerous foul — his second card of the match — the Pioneers were forced to play a man down the final 11:51. However, NJCU was unable to take advantage, only attempting one shot during the remaining time.
 
WP had several more scoring chances — a cross from the near left endline in the 82nd minute that went wide, and a shot later in the minute by junior midfielder Mike Conte (Franklin, N.J./Wallkill Valley Regional) that was alertly tipped over the crossbar by Krychkowski.
 
But Krychkowski had no chance to stop the winner at the 86:41 mark. Junior midfielder Juan Sebastian Londono (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) dribbled through several defenders on the far right wing as the defense was trying to avoid another tripping foul in the box, and from the right endline sent a ball across the box that Hackett, left unmarked from 10 yards, buried down the middle of the target.
 
For all of the latest information on the Pioneers, visit http://www.wpupioneers.com, http://twitter.com/wpupioneers, http://www.instagram.com/thewpupioneers, http://www.facebook.com/wpupioneers and http://www.youtube.com/thewpupioneers.