Post Game Interview & Goals

NEWARK, NJ—The year of living dangerously continued for NJIT men's soccer in a 2-2 double overtime tie Sunday afternoon at home against Manhattan on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
 
The result left NJIT with a 2-3-1 record. But with the visiting Jaspers (0-4-1) scoring the game's first two goals, NJIT has now allowed its opponent on the board first in five of the Highlanders' six matches.
 
Sunday's contest marked the second time NJIT spotted a visiting team a two-goal lead, forcing the Highlanders to rally late in order to escape a defeat. The first time, on September 11, the Highlanders trailed Niagara 2-0 before storming back with two goals in the last 16:08 of regulation and then the winner in overtime.
 
On Sunday, Manhattan got an unassisted goal in the 36th minute from senior Abraham Bartoah and another goal in the 61st minute off the foot of freshman Adam Weisberger, whose 25-yard floater on a direct free kick found its way into the net, giving the Jaspers a 2-0 lead.
 
NJIT came back on two late headers in the span of just more than three minutes. Highlander freshman Ryan Moore, a couple of strides away from the visitors bench area, sent a long head-high ball into the goal area, where NJIT's 6-foot-4 senior captain Jimmy Myers got his head on it, redirecting the ball slightly to beat Manhattan goalkeeper RJ Noll at the 71:16 mark.
 
Another Highlander senior, Joshua Mercer, tied the score on his team-leading third goal in the 75th minute. Rickardo Oldham sent a precision cross into the box and Mercer flicked it on into the back of the net from 10 yards out.
 
NJIT had all the shots in overtime (five) and put three on frame, but the 2-2 tie held until the final whistle.
 
Manhattan had a 15-11 edge in shots during regulation time, but the five overtime shots by NJIT inched the Highlanders ahead in that category, 16-15.
 
Noll, the freshman goalkeeper for Manhattan, went the distance and finished with eight saves in 110 minutes.
 
NJIT's starting goalkeeper Christian Foust made three saves and was pulled after allowing the second Manhattan goal early in the 61st minute.
 
Junior Marco Luna came on for Foust and made one save in keeping the Jaspers off the board for the remaining 49:53. It was the first game action as a Highlander for Luna, who played two seasons at Hendrix College in Arkansas before enrolling at NJIT in the fall of 2014.
 
Bartoah's opening goal for Manhattan, the only one in the first half, was the result of a fine individual effort, as he made a run down the right flank and carried the ball deep before scoring from a difficult angle, firing the ball from right to left across the goal area and into the net inside the far post.
 
The visitors barely missed a score minutes earlier, when Weisberger's try in the 33rd minute struck the post.
 
NJIT had its own near-misses, including a pair of shots in the 58th minute with the Highlanders down a goal. Mercer attempted to score on a bicycle kick from close range, but Manhattan's Noll deflected it away. Juan Gomez controlled the rebound for the Highlanders, but his shot skimmed over the crossbar.
 
NJIT, which has played its last three games at home, will go on the road for its next three, beginning Wednesday night at Rider in a 7 pm start.