Box Score
 
NEWARK, NJ – Fairleigh Dickinson took advantage of some crucial mistakes to score three first half goals as the Knights took a 3-1 victory over the NJIT women's soccer team Friday night at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
 
The loss dropped the Highlanders' record to 2-6-1, while the Knights improved to 3-2-3. The Highlanders have now lost two and tied one in their last three matches.
 
NJIT women's soccer head coach Sergio Gonzalez was disappointed with his team's effort.
 
“For the second game in a row, we didn't play well defensively,” Gonzalez said. “We gave up too many soft goals. We have to have a commitment to playing defense. We did that for the first six games of the season and we've gone away from that. When you give goals away, it changes the momentum of the entire game.”
 
The Knights wasted little time to take control of the match. In just the sixth minute, Julie Woolridge took a direct free kick from 22 yards out on the left side.
 
Woolridge's high shot curved at the last minute and seemed to handcuff NJIT freshman goalkeeper Samantha Bersett, who extended her left hand to try to stop the shot, but the ball managed to sail over Bersett's outstretched hand and went into the net for a 1-0 FDU lead.
 
Woolridge had another attempt three minutes later, but Bersett caught the shot.
In the 11^th minute, senior midfielder Erin Morris unleashed a hard shot from 30 yards out, but FDU goalie Sage DoVale made the save to protect the lead.
 
In the 27^th minute, the Highlanders got the equalizer, when sophomore forward Megan Dellavalle scored her second goal of the season off a mad scramble in front. The play started with Morris' corner kick that was kept alive by the hustle of senior forward Gechi Ukaegbu.
 
An alert Dellavalle pounced on the loose ball and kicked it home. At first, the ball didn't appear to go into the goal, but referee Rosario Candela ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line and awarded the goal to Dellavalle.
 
“Megan is just coming back from a bit of tendinitis in her knee, but she's healthy now and that's what she's capable of,” Gonzalez said. “She did well tonight.”
FDU then regained the lead less than two minutes later. Lindzy Williams took advantage of a mishandled ball in the box and managed to get the ball past Bersett for the go-ahead goal in the 29^th minute.
The Knights then added another goal right before the end of the half. Rachel Hoekstra took a high shot from 32 yards out that Bersett got her hands on, but the ball trickled into the net with just 53 seconds remaining in the half. It was the fifth goal of the season for the Knights' leading scorer.
 
FDU held a 3-1 lead at halftime, even though the Highlanders had most of the first half possession.
 
“Give them credit,” Gonzalez said. “They had a game plan and they stayed with it. We were able to hold the ball a lot, but couldn't do anything with it.”
 
The Highlanders had two good chances to score in the early stages of the second half. Morris had a clean breakaway and held the ball for 20 yards, before DoVale came out of the box to snare the ball in the 49^th minute.
 
Two minutes later, Ukaegbu had a solid shot that DoVale saved.
 
In the 64^th minute, Highlander senior midfielder Meryl Hershfield got her head on a corner kick in front, but the ball sailed just wide right.
 
In the 67^th minute, sophomore forward Rebecca Tustin had a golden chance, but her shot from the right flank sailed wide right.
 
The Highlanders could not muster any other true scoring opportunities after Tustin's shot.
 
“Defensively, we were off,” Gonzalez said. “We have to get better. We're a little beat up right now with injuries and illness, but that's no excuse. We're a young team and hopefully we can learn from this and move on . We need to have a short term memory, because we have to come back. It's part of having a young team, having days like this.”
 
The Highlanders return to action Sunday night at 7 p.m., when they play host to Iona at Mal Simon Stadium.

Write-up courtesy James Hague