St. Joe’s Wins 1 – 0 Over NJIT on a Penalty Kick
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 8/23/2026 –
The season started for a young Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer team, and did so in exciting fashion. The Hawks won 1 – 0 over the NJIT Highlanders on a penalty kick converted by Eddie Krupski in the 58th minute. It is his first collegiate goal.
“We love playing at home,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Tim Mulqueen. “We have so many Philadelphia kids and their families come out. We play so many young players, give them their first collegiate experience at home, and they come away with a win, it’s really special. We want to create this home field advantage for us. And today was a good step for that.”
The winning sequence started when Hawks forward Charlie Undorf was fouled in the box. The officials went to the video monitor and confirmed there was a penalty. Krupski stepped into the role and buried the kick a 57:23 for the only score of the game.
“Charlie does a god job of getting to the back post, and he’s so tall. The defender pushed him,” Mulqueen observed. “At first they called the foul on him, which we knew it wasn’t, so we challenged it. It was good ball movement, a great idea by Charlie on the back post, and he was rewarded with the penalty.”
While it was the decider each team had an excellent opportunity to score. NJIT midfielder Jake Rubis had a shot hit the post. Later, the Highlanders forced Hawks goalie Alex Smith to go low to his right to corral the ball.
What a great debut for a college freshman,” Mulqueen said about Smith. “He’s got big game experience, and he was fantastic. Probably the man of the match.”
SJU midfielder Conor Clair let go a shot that curled wide of the net.
Saint Joseph’s Showed Resilience
Early in the match NJIT had a complete territorial advantage, but could not find the back of the net as Smith made 3 of his 5 saves in the first half. Eventually, Saint Joseph’s fought back to equalize the chances.
“It was a bit of nerves. They (NJIT) had the territory, and for the first half of the first half they were by far a better team,” Muqueen said. “But our defense stood stout. And we always say, if we can be zero through the game, or zero at halftime, we’ll find a way to win.”
What the Numbers Say
NJIT had 16 shots to 15 by SJU. The Highlanders took 11 corner kicks to 5 for the Hawks.
Krupski and and Matteo Mazzotta led St. Joe’s with 3 shots apiece, 2 by Krupski required a save and Mazzotta forced the other stop.
Rubis led NJIT with 4 shots, 1 on goal. Zain Thompson had 3 shots with one on goal. Goalie Andre Faerman saved 2 shots and allowed the only goal.
Up Next
Saint Joseph’s goes to North Broad Street for a game against Temple. The Hawks are 1 – 0. Chalk one up for the defense.
“It’s everybody’s natural inclination to protect what you have,” Mulqueen said. “So they push more numbers forward. You’re going to have to defend. And what an effort from these guys on a hot day in August. They dug in and cleared balls and won duels. What really impressed me was our concentration . We stayed strong with our concentration, kept to our assignments, and we were able to keep the zero.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: glenn@phillycollegesports.com
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