Box Score

ONEONTA, NY– Senior goalkeeper Lars Maalen-Johansen made five saves, three of which were spectacular, but it wasn't enough to hold back the three-goal onslaught Syracuse unleashed on the NJIT men's soccer team Friday in a 4-0 loss at the Mayor's Cup Tournament at Hartwick College.

The loss was the third straight for the Highlanders (2-3) after starting the season with two victories. The Orange improved to 4-1.

The match was scoreless for most of the first half, but then in the 40th minute, Jordan Burrell uncorked a blast from 20 yards out that eluded Maalen-Johansen to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead.

The Highlanders had one good scoring chance in the first half, but senior defender Christian Galindo's shot sailed just wide right of Orange net minder Alex Bono in the 23rd minute.

 The Orange held a 1-0 lead at intermission, then put the game away with three goals in a span of 20 minutes, as Skylar Thomas (63rd minute), Tony Asante (81st minute) and Nick Perea (83rd minute) all found the net in the second half.

The Highlanders had two good chances to score in the second half, but each shot was stopped by Bono in goal.

In the 76th minute, the Highlanders had two shots in a 12-second span, one from sophomore midfielder Anthony Escamilla and the other from sophomore defender Marko Drljic, but neither found their way past the stubborn Bono.

NJIT head coach Cesar Markovic wasn't displeased with his team's performance, playing a top program from a major conference like the Big East.

“They had a lot of athleticism and a lot of experience,” Markovic said. “It's something we don't have. We held our own for a good portion of the game. It was a good effort. We got some shots on goal. We know that we have to play these types of teams, these types of games in order to get better. We need to get experience against this kind of competition. Our kids have now seen this speed of play and know what they need to do.”

Markovic said that he also built highly competitive schedules when he coached at Saint Peter's, then Stony Brook, knowing that his program would benefit in the long run.

“It's exactly the same process,” Markovic said. “I fully well expect the same kind of results down the road.”

Markovic guided both programs to NCAA Tournament berths.

“It's the type of challenge that this team needs right now,” Markovic said. “It's the only way we'll get better. We played hard and competed, but their athleticism killed us.”

The Highlanders return to action against host Hartwick in the Mayor's Cup Tournament Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Oneonta.

Write-up courtesy James Hague