Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's soccer team got back on the winning side with a 3-1 victory over the College of Staten Island on Monday night in Lions Stadium.
 
Senior Thomas Hogue (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic), Nick Costelloe (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.), and Nick Sample (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) all scored unassisted goals as the Lions (6-5-1) dominated play outshooting the Dolphins (6-4-2) 33-5 in the match.
 
TCNJ entered the contest having been shut out in two straight contests despite controlling the majority of play in those losses. The opening minutes of Wednesday night's game was a carbon copy and the Lions could not buy a goal despite several chances.
 
Just over 10 minutes into the game, Hogue picked up a loose ball in the box and fired it on net, but Dolphin defender Youseff Aly made a defensive save. Less than a minute later, rookie Mateo Panizza (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) caught the goalkeeper out of position and lifted a shot that struck the bottom of the crossbar and caromed back down into play. Less than three minutes after Panizza hit the crossbar, Sample lined a low shot that hit the left post.
 
Hogue finally ended the scoring drought with 25:23 into the game. He carried the ball down the right side and cut towards the middle of the box. The Dolphin defense failed to challenge Hogue, who continued into the box and ripped a left-footed shot into the right side of the net for his fifth goals of the season.
 
Following the break, TCNJ continued to pressure, but CSI got on the board in the 62^nd minute. A ball was lifted toward the TCNJ box from midfield and the ball flicked off the head of a Lions' defender and onto the foot of Dolphin Adrian Cosovic. He promptly turned and fired a shot into the right side of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
 
The Lions responded quickly as Costelloe knocked home the eventually game-winner just 49 seconds later. It was his fourth goal of the season.
 
Sample finally broke through with his first goal of the season in the 80^th minute to ice the game. He weaved through traffic and found daylight inside the box before putting away a left-footed shot into the right side of the net.
 
Lions' goalkeeper Dan Walsh (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) made two saves in the win, while Dolphin keeper Antonio Lynch made nine stops.
 
TCNJ continues its regular season schedule on Saturday when they host Ramapo College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match-up at 1 p.m. in the TCNJ Soccer Complex.