Box Score



JACKSONVILLE, FL—NJIT's Cristian Marcel opened his senior season in style, netting a goal in each half to lead the Highlanders past host Jacksonville, 3-2, on the opening night of the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament Friday in the 2014 men's soccer season opener for both sides.
 
Marcel got the Highlanders off to a quick start, drilling a free kick home at 6:07 and he picked up his second tally--NJIT's third of the night--in the 79th minute, with a header off of a crossing pass by freshman Danny Cordeiro.
 
All three Highlander goals were scored by Long Islanders. Marcel, from East Setauket, was joined in the goals column by junior Jimmy Myers of Hicksville.
 
An imposing 6-foot-4, 210-pound central defender, Myers converted a header off of a corner kick, with NJIT's senior playmaker Marko Drljic getting the assist.
 
Sophomore Ivo Lima and senior Matheus Saroli registered the goals for Jacksonville, with freshman Rijad Kobijar assisting on both Dolphins scores.
 
Christian Foust, the sophomore goalkeeper who made his NJIT debut after spending 2013 at James Madison, picked up the win in goal, notching seven saves. "Christian was great for us," said second-year head coach Didier Orellana. "He came up with some tremendous saves, especially in the second half."
 
JU's goalkeeper Marc Meny made three stops while three NJIT shots got behind him.
 
The Dolphins came up short on the scoreboard despite a big advantage in shots (18-7 overall, 9-6 in shots on goal) and in corner kicks, 10-3.
 
Marcel's first goal put the Highlanders on top early and they never trailed. Myers made it 2-0 in the 19th minute and the Highlanders held the 2-0 advantage at the break.
 
Jacksonville got on the board on Lima's score in the 59th minute, but Marcel restored the two-goal cushion for the Highlanders in the 79th minute.
 
The lead got a little less comfortable when Saroli found the back of the net 4:01 from time.
 
However, neither team got a shot the rest of the way and NJIT clinched the win in the season opener for both teams.  
 
"I'm very pleased with the way the guys performed," said Orellana. "It was an entertaining back-and-forth game. We went on the road and Jacksonville was the host and they came out with a lot of enthusiasm. It was also very hot (temperatures in the 90s to go with relative humidity close to 90 percent). I had to substitute five and six players at a time because guys needed a break. But they fought through it and found a way to get the win."
 
With Friday's road victory, NJIT has won two of its last three openers. The Highlanders began 2012 with a win over VMI, but they fell 2-1 on the road last August 30 at #19 St. John's before bouncing back to open 2014 with the victory at Jacksonville. They are 3-8 in season openers since beginning Division I competition in 2004.
 
NJIT will play one more game in the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament, moving across town to visit North Florida in a 7 pm game on Sunday. North Florida opened the 2014 season with a 5-2 rout Friday over Florida Atlantic, the fourth team in the Mike Gibbs Memorial field (NJIT will not face Florida Atlantic).
 
North Florida, which reached the 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference championship game was picked third in the conference coaches' 2014 preseason poll.