Box score

BROOKLYN, NY—Adam Maabdi and St. Francis (NY) struck early, took advantage of a second-half gift and held off visiting NJIT for a 2-1 non-conference men's soccer win over the Highlanders Wednesday night at the Aviator Sports and Events Center.

 

Maabdi, a junior, would score his second and third goals of the season for St. Francis (4-2-1) and his first of the night, just 4:08, put NJIT (1-5-2) behind the eight ball for the entire evening.

 

"You've got to be ready to play from the start," said NJIT coach Cesar Markovic. "There's no exception to that rule and when we gave up that early goal, it changed everything. Instead of playing a conservative game on the road, your whole game plan changes and you're chasing the game.

 

"(St. Francis) is a very good offensive team and the last thing you want to do is open up and let them counter. But that's what we had to do."

 

Maabdi, who assisted on a goal when the Terriers beat NJIT last year in Newark, was assisted by Jonas Pantelidis and Gabriel Bagot on the opening goal.

 

The 1-0 lead held up for St. Francis until the 73rd minute, when Maabdi took advantage of a giveaway in the NJIT defense to score and unassisted goal for a 2-0 lead.

 

"We gave the ball away in front of the goal," said Markovic. "The keeper didn't have a chance."

 

NJIT got a goal back on the third score of the season for Franco Gamero, who received a ball played over the defense just outside the top of the box and dribbled to within seven yards and drilled a goal into the upper left corner.

 

Gamero's goal at 85:21 was too late to save the Highlanders Wednesday night, but it snapped a team scoring drought that went back more than two weeks to NJIT's 3-2 win at VMI on September 4.

 

In the same span—five games—NJIT surrendered just five total goals, but the result has been two ties, two one-goal losses (including the St. Francis game) and a two-goal loss.

 

The total shots favored St. Francis, 15-10, including an 8-5 margin in shots on goal. NJIT had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.

 

St. Francis goalkeeper Tyler Clarhaut made four saves for the win, while NJIT's keeper, freshman Adriano Deabreu stopped six shots.

 

"The game was evenly-played after the first goal, but that goal changed everything," the NJIT coach said. "We missed a breakaway, hit a post, grazed the crossbar and after we scored, we pressured, but the game was over."

 

Next up for the Highlanders is a Saturday night 7 pm visit to Sacred Heart in Fairfield, CT. Sacred Heart is the fourth of five opponents this year for NJIT against teams from the Northeast Conference. The first three were: Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, and St. Francis, while the fifth NEC foe will be Quinnipiac, which will visit the Highlanders on October 2.