Box Score

NEWARK, NJ—Visiting Saint Peter's scored twice in the first half and added another goal in the second half for a 3-0 men's soccer win over NJIT Wednesday afternoon on Lubetkin Field.

The game, which had been postponed from Tuesday due to the threat of thunderstorms, featured a high number of good scoring opportunities for both sides, but the Peacocks, who qualified for the 2007 Division I College Cup as an at-large team, were the only ones who cashed in their chances on Wednesday.

Udi Naim opened the scoring for SPC, finding a hole in the NJIT defensive wall and firing a direct free kick past Highlander goalkeeper Josh Osit at 24:54.

Assaf Sheleg, like Naim, a native of Israel dribbled into the box and beat a tiring NJIT defense for the second goal 25 seconds before the halftime buzzer. Dmitri Pelts, also an Israeli, assisted on the play.

The only goal of the second half came in the 70th minute, when Rumen Kerekov finished a flurry for Saint Peter's, knocking in a rebound of his own shot from directly in front of the goal.

NJIT, which had the better chances in the game before Naim's opening goal, was unfortunate not to score at least once on the afternoon.

Unlike the closing minutes of the first half, when Sheleg scored for Saint Peter's, the Highlanders were the late aggressors in the waning moments of the second half.

Eddie Romero sent a shot on goal with Peacock goalkeeper Hernando Santamaria out of position, but Kevin Olson swooped in to clear the ball off the goal line.

Santamaria did his own work preserving the shutout with just under a minute remaining, making a diving save on a chest-high shot by Osvaldo Perez that appeared ticketed for the right corner of the goal. And then NJIT's Erik Magnusson hit the post on a header attempt in the final seconds.

Santamaria made five saves for the shutout, while NJIT's Osit stopped seven shots. The overall shots favored Saint Peter's, 18-16, and the corner kicks were even at six apiece.

“Saint Peter's deserved the win,” said NJIT coach Pedro Lopes. “They played well consistently and we played well in spurts.

“They did a good job of pressuring us in the midfield and once they scored that first goal, that deflated us. We had chances before that, but you have to put it away to start the belief that we can score.”

NJIT, which has played Siena and Saint Peter's from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, will take on another MAAC opponent next, when the Highlanders visit Manhattan at 7 pm on Saturday.