Box score
FARMVILLE, VA—NJIT scored twice in a little more than a minute early in the first half and went on to a 2-1 men's soccer win at Longwood in the first Atlantic Soccer Conference match of 2010 for the Highlanders Saturday afternoon in Virginia.
NJIT, which will play a total of four conference games before entering the ASC playoffs in mid-November, got goals in the 14th and 15th minute, respectively, before allowing a Longwood score in the 84th minute.
The win lifts the Highlanders to 4-9 overall, along with their 1-0 conference mark. Longwood is 0-2-1 in the ASC and 2-10-3 overall.
The first NJIT goal was scored at 13:40 by Emeka Nwachukwu, unassisted off of a rebound. It was the first goal as a Highlander for the junior Nwachukwu, who previously played at Queensborough Community College in Queens, NY.
The second Highlander goal came 1:03 later, as Papis Ciss scored his third goal of the season, converting a cross from Pete Walker, who was credited with his team-leading fourth assist.
Longwood finally got on the board 6:31 from the end on a direct free kick off the foot of senior Harvey Headley, a first-team all-ASC honoree in 2009.
NJIT freshman goalkeeper John Ricketti went the distance against Longwood, earning the win with three saves. Joel Helmick was called upon to make seven saves for the Lancers.
The shots were 17-11 for NJIT, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal. Longwood took nine corner kicks to two for the Highlanders.
Although Longwood's season record was not glossy, the Lancers were a relatively hot team coming into the match. After opening at 0-8-1, they were 2-1-2 in their five matches before losing to NJIT. The wins came against Virginia Tech and Navy and the ties came against UNC Asheville and defending ASC champion Adelphi.
NJIT, which had been shut out in its previous two matches (3-0 at Quinnipiac on October 17 and 1-0 at home to Lehigh on October 19), was looking for a quick start on Saturday to steal some of the momentum.
The Highlanders got the start they needed with a 13-5 first-half edge in overall shots and a 6-3 margin in shots on goal.
The first goal was a combination of shots from Ciss, who was dangerous all day, and Nwachukwu, who made his first start in 10 appearances this season. The first shot, from Ciss, hit the goal post and Nwachukwu was there for the rebound, striking a shot that caromed off the crossbar and into the goal. The second goal, from Ciss, came off of a cross from Walker into the box, where Ciss finished at 14:03.
“We did very well in the first half,” said NJIT coach Pedro Lopes. “Papa (Ciss) was playing well as a target up top and Emeka got the opportunity to start and did a good job getting open and following up on shots. I give a lot of credit to Papa and Emeka for scoring because we've been struggling with that lately.”
The second half had a different flavor, as Longwood went more on the attack and NJIT gradually shifted to a more defensive approach. “When you have a lead of 2-0, or even 1-0, you expect the opponent to be more aggressive and that's what happened,” Lopes said. “(Jack McVey) was very good as a defensive midfielder and (Oshane Moodie) did a good job for us as a center back, keeping the ball clear in front of the goal.
“We also needed good efforts from our whole group. It was a draining nine-hour bus ride with all the traffic (in Washington, DC, and northern Virginia Friday afternoon), so we went to some guys who haven't played a lot all year and they gave us what we need to get the win. Daniel Correia, Brian Caine, and Michael Dores all played well for us."
Although NJIT won, it couldn't quite manage a shutout, as Headley, the Longwood senior, hit a free kick that found its way into the net at 83:29.
“It was really our only big mistake on defense,” according to Lopes. “We had some indecision, with no one going after the ball hard and it was as if the ball had eyes and it went into the net.”
The Highlanders will play their final non-conference contest of the season on Tuesday, when they travel to Lewisburg, PA, for a 7 pm match at Bucknell.
