Box Score
 
EASTON, PA – Sean Peckham scored the lone goal of the match in the 81st minute, as Lafayette defeated the NJIT men's soccer team, 1-0, in a game that was certainly an emotional one for the Highlanders to play Tuesday evening.
 
Over the weekend, NJIT head coach Cesar Markovic lost his father, Miodrag Markovic, who was 80 years old. Cesar buried his father on Monday and a day later, he had to get on the team bus to head to Pennsylvania for the game.
 
“It was a tough game in a lot of respects,” Markovic said. “I definitely can say that things weren't the way we always are. But I think we all kept it together and played as well as possible. They had some good days of practice without me, with the assistants running the practices. They all came to the wake together and that was a very special and classy move. It kind of puts everything into perspective. But we have to move forward. I had to go back to work. I obviously didn't feel like it, but it's my job and we had a game to play.”
 
The loss dropped the Highlanders' overall record to 8-7 overall, while Lafayette owns a 6-7-2 record.
 
After a scoreless first half, one that saw the Highlanders have the best scoring chance, when freshman forward Tommy Osipitan hit the post with a shot in the ninth minute, Lafayette took advantage of their solid scoring chance in the 81st minute.
 
Peckham received a crossing pass from Tom McCutcheon off a corner kick. Peckham was in the penalty area and booted it home from eight yards out for his second goal of the season.
 
“It was a game where there weren't a lot of chances,” Markovic said. “They had one of the two best chances in the game and put it away. That was it. They were very well prepared for us. They played a complete game.”
 
Freshman defender Jimmy Myers had a good shot in the first half, but fired it wide of the goal. Sophomore forward Cristian Marcel had a shot with four minutes left in regulation, but it also traveled wide. The Highlanders did not register a shot on goal for the game.
 
Senior goalie Lars Maalen-Johansen had three saves in goal for the Highlanders.
Markovic praised the play of his defensive backline, which has been brilliant of late.
 
“They played very well once again,” Markovic said. “They made sure that Lafayette didn't generate a lot of offense. It just wasn't meant to be.”
 
The Highlanders return to action next Tuesday night, when they play host to Bucknell at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium at 7 p.m.
 
Write-up courtesy James Hague