Box score

NEWARK, NJ—Lafayette scored a goal in the 27th minute and the tally held up for the visiting Leopards in their 1-0 win at NJIT Sunday afternoon on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium.

 

Lafayette (4-1) got on the board at 26:08, when Jill Dozier sent a pass ahead to Alyssa Finelli, who carried into the left side of the goal area before sending a diagonal roller that tucked inside the far post beyond the reach of the diving NJIT keeper Anna Kornmuller.

 

The Leopards outshot the home team, 12-5, with a 6-2 margin in shots on goal. The corner kicks favored the visitors, 5-2. Kornmuller was credited with five saves for NJIT, while Lafayette's junior goalkeeper, Lauren Smedley saved two to earn the shutout.

 

Smedley, the 2010 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, has four shutouts in 2011, all of which ended with a final score of 1-0 (Lafayette's loss was a 1-0 final, as well).

 

NJIT (0-6) had the best chance for either team in the early going, when a 25-yard shot from Mariam Bestawros forced Lafayette's Smedley to stretch high and tip the shot over the crossbar in the 10th minute.

 

It took a reaction save from Kornmuller to keep Finelli and Lafayette from a second first-half goal when the NJIT keeper blocked Finelli's point-blank shot in the 40th minute.

 

The best chance for either team in the second half came in the final 10 minute. With NJIT pressing the attack in search of the equalizer, Camille Billing controlled the ball at the top of the box and one-timed a hard shot that sailed just wide of the left post in the 82nd minute.

 

“We dropped a little bit in the first half and that's when we gave away the goal,” said NJIT coach Sergio Gonzalez. “Then I thought the second half was the best 45 minutes we've played all season.”

 

Despite still searching for the first win in 2011, Gonzalez, the first-year coach of the Highlanders, is encouraged. “Our record doesn't reflect the progress we've made,” he said. “The players believe in what we're doing and they trust each other. We're working hard and we're organized on defense, staying behind the ball. We have to be a little better when we get the ball and that's something we'll be focused on in training.

 

“Right now, that one goal we're missing is a huge weight. But once we get it, I think it will make a big difference for us.”

 

The Highlanders will return to action on Friday, when they host Long Island University in a 7 pm start on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium.