NEW YORK, N.Y. – A five-goal outburst propelled the William Paterson men's soccer team (10-4-2) past Baruch College (7-7) Monday evening in a non-conference road test.
 
It was the final non-conference matchup on the docket for WP this season, and the Pioneers flexed their offensive prowess in their final tune-up before the final push for an NJAC Tournament berth. Senior Dante Petrocelli (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) led the Pioneers with two goals on the evening, while senior JP Gonzales (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech), and sophomores Darwin Cruz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) and Cameron Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./Saint John Vianney) added one goal each in the win. Petrocelli also added an assist on the game's opening goal, giving him five points on the day.
 
It took just over five minutes for the Pioneers to push across the game's opening tally, when Petrocelli set up Allen for a beautiful goal from just outside the penalty area into the upper corner of the netting for Allen's 10th goal of the season. 20 minutes later the Pioneers struck again when Gonzales put home a rebound in the box to double the advantage, but the Bearcats had a response just 19 seconds later when Cormac Foley put home a cross by Frank Iacovano to make it 2-1, a score that held until the halftime intermission.
 
The Bearcats struck first in the second half to level the scoring before the Pioneers turned up the pressure late to pull away. Three goals in a span of 10 minutes put all the momentum back on William Paterson's side and Baruch was unable to answer. Cruz started the scoring after receiving a through ball behind the back line from Gonzales and finished for what proved to be the game-winner. Petrocelli got in on the scoring, depositing the final two goals for WP. The first goal of the night for the senior came when Cruz sent a through ball from midfield to a charging Petrocelli to make it 4-2, and four minutes later Petrocelli put the game out of reach for good with his sixth goal of the year.
 
The Pioneers will gear up for two huge NJAC matchups to close out the regular season beginning on Senior Day this Saturday, October 21 when the Pioneers host Rutgers-Camden at 1:00 p.m.
 
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