Box Score
NEWARK, NJ—NJIT avoided defeat on a penalty kick goal with three seconds left in regulation and then grabbed the win on a goal with six seconds left in overtime, as the Highlanders defeated visiting Virginia Military Institute, 3-2, in men's soccer Sunday on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium.
The Highlanders, who nearly doubled the school record for shots in a Division I game, were rewarded with the victory on their 43rd shot of the afternoon. Timothy Hojnacki sent a high serve from 35 yards away toward the right post, where Chico Lugo headed it home for the winning goal after 109 minutes and 54 seconds of spirited play on both sides. The goal was Lugo's second of the year.
The previous Division I record for shots for NJIT, which is in its sixth season competing at that level, was 22 last November against Howard.
The Highlanders, who hit the goal post four different times, outshot VMI, 43-8, including 14 shots on goal to four for the visitors, plus the four posts. The Keydets hit the post once.
VMI's goal scorers were Brian Harding in the first half and David Rochow in the second half. NJIT's goals in regulation came from freshmen Pete Walker and Jack McVey.
They were the first college career tallies for the two players from the British Isles. Walker, who is from England, scored in the first half and McVey, who is from the Isle of Man, scored on a penalty kick with three ticks left in regulation, setting the stage for Lugo's dramatic game-winner in the second overtime.
VMI's Sowell, who faced a steady stream of shots, made 11 saves, while NJIT keeper Ryan Sutherland collected two saves.
The result concluded a heart-breaking two-match road trip for VMI, which lost 1-0 in the first overtime on Friday night on Long Island at Adelphi, which, like NJIT, plays in the Atlantic Soccer Conference.
The visiting Keydets, who had not scored in their first five games this season, got that part out of the way quickly against the Highlanders. VMI's Brian Harding, free in front of the net, scored on an assist from Ayao Sossou, who made the play with a hard-driving run down left wing and cross to Harding for the goal just 1:22 in.
However, NJIT soon began to dominate the ball and the attack in a half that would see the Highlanders outshoot the visitors, 14-3.
Walker, the NJIT freshman making his first start of the season, hit the goal post on a header in the 18th minute. Soon, he got NJIT even at 24:38, when he fired home the rebound of a shot by Rahim Stennett that VMI goalkeeper Brian Sowell deflected, but could not control.
NJIT, keeping up the pressure, nearly scored again in the 27th minute, when it was awarded two quick corner kicks, the first after a hard header by Stennett went through Sowell's hands, but bounced off the near post.
McVey also hit the goal post in the 43rd minute on a play that was set up by Walker's breakaway run.
The Highlanders continued to pepper shots toward the VMI goal in the second half and Nathan D'Aversa took two dangerous shots from the right side that zipped just wide of the left goal post within the first nine minutes after play resumed.
The Keydets were not without chances of their own, however, as Stewart Wilkinson's shot hit the NJIT goal post in the 61st minute and Sossou, the small, but strong (5-6, 145) VMI freshman who assisted his team's first goal, got off a shot in the 72nd minute that forced NJIT's Sutherland to make his best save of the afternoon.
In between, Stennett, who was dangerous in the box on the ground or in the air, had a strong shot on a breakaway that Sowell barely deflected over the end line for a corner kick.
The shot was one of an NJIT Division I-record 12 on the day for Stennett (the old mark was nine, set by Osvaldo Perez against Siena in 2008). The Highlanders also set a school DI record with 15 corner kicks, surpassing their 11 vs. Howard last year. NJIT had a 15-2 advantage in corners against VMI.
However, as NJIT coach Pedro Lopes noted after the game: “We put ourselves in position to shoot, but you've still got to score.”
All of the dominant statistics nearly went for naught when VMI reclaimed the lead on a quality goal in the 86th minute. Matt Seinfeld played the ball from outside the penalty area to John Sisco, who headed it across the goal mouth to Rochow, who redirected Sisco's header past Sutherland.
Despite the disappointment of falling behind after dominating so much of the play, NJIT continued to press the issue while still maintaining its poise.
Finally on NJIT's last foray of regulation, Stennett, carrying the ball in the penalty area, was taken down on a foul with just three seconds left. McVey, the freshman, teed the ball up and fired waist-high into the left corner, leaving Sowell without a chance.
The Highlanders did not let up in the either overtime, outshooting the visitors 11-0 over the nearly 20 minutes of additional play. Alex Brito got off a blast in the 95th minute, as did McVey two minutes later and Walker in the 102nd minute. All three shots had to be saved by VMI's Sowell.
Stennett had another header go just over the top in the 106th minute and Gustav Warfving had a header that sailed barely wide in the 108th minute.
VMI appeared willing to take a tie near the end of the long, warm day, but perhaps encouraged by their cliffhanging escape in regulation, the Highlanders kept attacking and pulled out the win when Hojnacki found Lugo for the winning goal just six seconds from the end.
“I give a tremendous amount of credit to VMI,” said Lopes. “They played an overtime loss to Adelphi Friday and they came out and snuck one by us early. When you play a military school, you know they're going to play hard and they're never going to give up, so we had to match that and keep taking it to them.
“I thought we played very well. We attacked well all day. Their goalkeeper made every save he could make, but the only thing we didn't do was hit the frame (frequently enough).”
The Highlanders will go on the road next, taking on St. Francis of New York on Wednesday at 7 pm in Brooklyn. The Terriers play their home games off campus at the Aviator Sports Complex which is located at Floyd Bennett Field.
