FAIRFIELD, CT—Sacred Heart won its second straight and for the third time in the last four games, defeating NJIT, 2-1, in non-conference men's soccer Saturday night on Campus Field at Sacred Heart.
The Pioneers (4-2) scored once in each half and claimed a 2-0 lead before Emeka Nwachukwu broke through with his first goal of the season about 16 minutes from the end to put NJIT (1-6-2) on the board. It was the second career goal for Nwachukwu, the senior who is in his second season with the Highlanders.
Sacred Heart, which has three shutout victories, struck first on a goal by junior Justin Brewer, assisted by junior Brian Francolini, at 18:26. Brewer's goal came on a 25-yard shut that went in under the crossbar.
The Pioneers, who have allowed more than one goal just once in their six starts, made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute, when Brewer assisted classmate Alex Danais.
The Highlander goal came at 73:54, with Nwachukwu converting a pass from Trevor Nye, who sent a long crossing pass that created a 1-v-1 chance for his teammate.
Senior Alex Fait got the goalkeeping win for SHU, finishing with one save, while NJIT's Adriano Deabreu made three stops.
The final stat sheet showed the winners with twice as many overall shots (14-7) and a 5-2 margin in shots on goal and an identical spread in corner kicks.
“We took a goal 18 minutes in on a defensive mistake and then they scored in the second half on another defensive mistake,” said NJIT coach Cesar Markovic. “Emeka, who has been injured, came in for the last 30 minutes and got a goal. We pressured hard, but couldn't come up with the tying goal.”
Although his team has had just one game where it allowed more than two goals and it has two double-overtime scoreless ties, Markovic has not been satisfied with the defensive play. “There have been times where we attacked well, even if it didn't result in goals,” said the coach. “But the biggest theme has been defensive mistakes.
“We're making crucial mistakes at crucial times in crucial parts of the field. I'm still waiting for that one outstanding defensive performance. Even though we've had shutouts, there hasn't been a situation where we completely closed the door.”
Also noteworthy from Saturday night, the Highlanders used 24 players in the game, including three who saw their first action of the season. “A lot of the young guys played and performed admirably,” said Markovic. “That's exciting to see.”
Markovic was also happy to see Nwachukwu return. Although he hadn't scored before Saturday, the senior adds an element of dangerous speed to the attack and the defense always has to account for him. Nwachukwu had been out for a couple of games. “Emeka coming off an injury and having an impact on the game is big,” said Markovic. “He's a key player for us.”
The coach also mentioned Trevor Nye, who came off the bench for his first assist, senior captain Timothy Hojnacki, and the keeper, Deabreu, as having played well against Sacred Heart.
NJIT will stay on the road for its next game, but the trip will be less than 10 miles, when the Highlanders travel to Jersey City, NJ, for a 4 pm game on Wednesday against Saint Peter's, a 2010 NCAA College Cup qualifier as champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
