Box Score

SMITHFIELD, RI—Bryant's Brett Larocque scored once in each half, leading the Bulldogs to a 2-0 win over NJIT Sunday afternoon on Bulldog Soccer Field.
 
Larocque, a sophomore who led Bryant in scoring as a freshman (13 points), came into play Sunday with two goals in 2013. He doubled his season's total on scores in the sixth and 72nd minutes vs. NJIT. Tony Flaim assisted on the first goal and Marco Addonizio helped out on the second goal,
 
Sunday's result snapped a three-match losing streak for Bryant (3-6). NJIT (4-6-1) fell short in its bid to win three straight road games and reach the .500 mark. The Highlanders won earlier in the week at Rider (2-1 on Wednesday) and at Rhode Island (1-0 on Friday).
 
Sunday's two-goal margin of defeat marked the first time this season NJIT has lost by more than one goal. However, the Highlanders still have not conceded more than two goals through 11 games.
 
Bryant, coming off of a 1-0 loss on a goal late in the second overtime Friday at Saint Peter's in Jersey City, NJ, got a much-needed early tally against NJIT. Larocque put the home team on the board at 5:33, running onto Flaim's long pass out of midfield and tapping the ball home past NJIT goalkeeper David Tuchinsky, who finished with six saves and two goals allowed.
 
Having scored on the run and tap-in, Larocque scored from distance on the second-half goal, taking a feed from Addonizo and cracking a shot from the top of the box into the net for insurance at 71:44.
 
Chris Knaub, the sophomore Bryant goalkeeper for Bryant, needed just two saves to post the shutout, his and the team's second clean sheet of the season.
 
Sunday's game against Bryant was a departure from the first 10 games for NJIT, which, while not scoring a lot of goals overall, had managed to generate pressure in the previous matches. Through the first 10 contests, the Highlanders averaged better than 12 total shots per game and had 60 shots-on-goal. Against Bryant, the Highlanders managed just four shots, including just one (off-target) in the second half, when they were trying to overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit.
 
NJIT, which has played its last five on the road, finally returns home and will play the next three at home on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. First up is a visit from Saint Joseph's, which will come north from Philadelphia for a 7 pm game on Wednesday.