NEWARK, NJ—NJIT and visiting Lafayette played to a 1-1 double overtime tie in the final regular season men's soccer game for the Highlanders Tuesday night on Lubetkin Field.

The NJIT goal came in the final minute of the first half, as senior Eddie Romero, playing his final home game, struck on an unassisted goal 37 seconds ahead of the halftime buzzer.

The visiting Leopards, who came in with five straight wins and a 5-1-2 record in their last eight contests going back to September 27, drew even in the 82nd minute on a goal by Andreas Kustas, assisted by Steve Ference.

The teams then played 28 minutes of scoreless soccer, producing the second tie of the season for NJIT and the fourth draw for Lafayette.

Both goalkeepers were strong Tuesday night. Lafayette keeper Andrew Pianko stopped nine shots, while NJIT's Ryan Sutherland finished with eight saves.

Sutherland, who stepped in when NJIT's early-season starter Josh Osit suffered a foot injury. Has played every minute since October 7 and has gone the distance in a season total of 10 starts, posting a solid 1.47 goals against average.

The total shots Tuesday were 18-14 in favor of Lafayette, but NJIT had a 10-9 advantage in shots on goal. There were just a handful of corner kicks, with the Highlanders getting two to one for the Leopards.

The Highlanders are 3-13-2, while Lafayette is 8-6-4.

NJIT had a slight advantage on shots in the first half, 7-5, and the Highlanders were the first to score on an unassisted goal by Romero, his team-leading fourth of the year.

The play began when the ball came free from NJIT's Osvaldo Perez, who was trying to gain control after playing it off his body. The loose ball deflected off of a Lafayette defender to Romero about 30 yards from the goal. The Highlander senior then used his speed to bear in Pianko and fire a shot into the back of the net at 44:23.

“Eddie did a great job all night, holding the ball and creating chances for his teammates,” said NJIT coach Pedro Lopes. “He was rewarded on that goal for the job he did for us.”

Lafayette had six good scoring chances in the last 29 minutes of regulation and came away with one goal.

Ference dribbled through a couple of NJIT defenders in the 62nd minute and got off a strong one-on-one shot that forced a terrific leg save by Sutherland. The Ference shot was so hard that the rebound from Sutherland's save at the goal line caromed all the way out of the penalty area more than 20 yards away.

A little more than 10 minutes later, with Lafayette increasing the pressure in its bid to tie the score, Kevin Blanco cleared a long Leopard pass from outside the box off the line.

With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, a shot by Lafayette's Shane Pruitt from a difficult angle across the goalmouth went wide right.

The equalizer came barely a minute later, as a poor clearing attempt by the Highlanders came to Justin Kamine, who passed to his Leopard teammate Kustas, who fired the ball past Sutherland, making it 1-1.

Ference, who was dangerous all night for Lafayette, hit the crossbar with a 25-yard blast in the 85th minute.

NJIT got all the shots in the overtime, putting two on goal, but could not break the tie.

The Highlanders did well in their last three home matches. They came from behind to beat Rutgers, 2-1, on October 22, beat Howard, 4-0, on October 25 and then tied the host Lafayette Leopards, 1-1.

The Highlanders recognized eight seniors in ceremonies held at halftime of the game against Lafayette. They were: Rafael Barrera, a four-year regular on defense; Blanco, the captain; Dylan Broadley; Quaison Carter; four-year starter Kayo Emojong; Osit, who has been out due to injury; Romero; and, Sutherland.

NJIT will play in the Atlantic Soccer Conference tournament, to be hosted by Longwood in Farmville, VA, starting on Wednesday, November 12. The tournament continues at Longwood with the two semifinal games on Friday, the 14th, and the championship game on Sunday, the 16th.