November 1, 2005
NEWARK, NJ -
—Ryan McCaughey’s header off a free kick in the 78th minute was the difference for Lafayette, which nipped New Jersey Institute of Technology, 2-1, in the 2005 men’s soccer home finale for NJIT.
Lafayette (11-4-1) got the game-winner on its first shot of the second half, breaking a 1-1 tie that had stood since early in the first half.
Steve Ference began the play with a free kick a few yards from the right sideline and about 25 yards from the goal. His serve found McCaughey open at the far post and the senior nodded the ball in for the score.
NJIT, which sustained its hard-luck sixth one-goal loss of the season, had the better of the play for much of the second half, but was unable to cash in a go-ahead goal before Lafayette gained the upper hand.
The Leopards struck first, as Stefan McVeigh stole the ball from the NJIT defense and fired a shot into the net from straight on, unassisted, at 9:47.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Pablo Ponce, one of three Highlanders, along with Rene Cevallos and Jason Williams, playing his final home game, evened the score on a 30-yard blast just 1:27 after the Lafayette goal. Kayo Emojong recorded an assist on the play.
Ponce, who has been the cornerstone of the NJIT defense all season, nearly picked up another goal long-range goal in the second half, but his thigh-high one-timer from 25 yards out was barely wide.
Once the game was tied, the teams played close for the rest of the half, but neither could get the ball past the starting goalkeepers. Rene Cevallos, the senior making his first start of the season in his last home game, stopped two shots in 45 minutes for the Highlanders, while Lafayette’s starter, Scott Backus, made one save.
Both teams changed keepers to start the second half, with Ryan Sutherland coming on for NJIT and Ben Jacobs taking over for the visitors.
NJIT pressured the talented Leopards throughout the second half. In addition to Ponce’s long-range shot that went wide, the dangerous Eddie Romero had a near-miss.
A last-second communications breakdown spoiled a play that saw Kayo Emojong break free down the middle, then send a lead pass for a teammate who had been coming hard down right wing, only to break stride just before the pass, allowing Lafayette to recover.
Lafayette, which had gone the first 32 minutes of the second half without a shot, got the game-winner from McCaughey at 77:01.
Despite the disappointment of the one-goal loss to a quality Lafayette team, NJIT coach Pedro Lopes could see some positives in the game, particularly in the energy level of his team as the season winds down.
“We’re trying to establish a certain mentality here,” said Lopes, whose program is in its first year as a full member of NCAA Division I. “We had gotten away from concentrating the whole time and making every step you take on the field count. We put an emphasis on that in practice and tonight we brought it to the game.
“You have to give Lafayette credit for taking advantage of every chance they got. It’s disappointing that our guys put in an effort, played well and didn’t get a win to show for it.”
The Highlanders will close the 2005 season on Sunday in Oneonta, NY, with a 1 pm Atlantic Soccer Conference game at Hartwick.
