NEWARK, NJ -- Freshman forward Chris DeFalco and senior Tyler Chiara scored early goals as Rutgers-Newark snapped a 37-match New Jersey Athletic Conference losing streak with a 2-0 win over New Jersey City on Alumni Field.

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DeFalco headed in a corner kick from the right side by junior forward Robert Campos just 1:54 into the league match, then junior goalkeeper Matt Zielyk and the Scarlet Raider defense combined to make it the game winner.

Chiara, a senior transfer who started his career at New Jersey City, added the insurance goal in the 18th minute heading in a crossing pass from the deep left corner from junior midfielder Estiven Benitez.

Zielyk made three saves to post his fourth shutout of the season as the Raiders limited the Gothic Knights to 13 shots.  Rutgers-Newark took 17 shots, and the Raiders held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.

It was a landmark victory in several ways.  Rutgers-Newark had fallen in 37 consecutive NJAC matches dating back to a 2-1 win over Kean University on Alumni Field on October 23, 2004.  NJCU head coach Nansha Kalonji was the head coach of Rutgers-Newark for that victory -- still the only one ever posted by the Raiders over the Cougars.

The conference win was the first for third-year head coach Kevin East who had suffered through 18 losses -- including 11 one goal losses -- to begin his tenure in Newark.  Three of the losses -- including Wednesday's 1-0 loss at Montclair State -- had come in double overtime as the Raiders could never seem to get a favorable call or bounce.

Rutgers-Newark (5-3-2, NJAC 1-2-0) now host William Paterson in another NJAC match on Wednesday at 7 p.m.