POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—NJIT got goals near the midpoint of each half and junior goalkeeper Christian Foust recorded his first shutout of the season as the visiting Highlanders defeated Marist 2-0 in men's soccer Saturday night in Marist's Tenney Stadium.
 
The win was the first of 2015 for the Highlanders (1-2) after last weekend's opening two losses at St. Bonaventure (2-1 in overtime) and at Canisius (1-0). Saturday's result also left the home standing Red Foxes with a 1-2 won-lost record.
 
NJIT scored its first goal in the 21st minute, as newcomer Rickardo Oldham, a U23 international for Jamaica, converted a pass from senior Joshua Mercer, who had collected a Marist turnover from in front of the goal.
 
The 1-0 lead stood until just over 24 minutes into the second half, when sophomore Danny Cordeiro passed right to left, finding classmate Mamadou Guirassy open. Guirassy, who did not have a goal as a freshman regular for NJIT last year, fired his second marker of this season past Marist keeper Mark Rajovic.
 
Foust, who had five shutouts last season, including a 1-0 home win vs. Marist, needed five saves against the Red Foxes Saturday night for his first clean sheet of 2015. Rajovic stopped two NJIT shots in addition to the pair that got past him.
 
The Red Foxes had a slight 5-4 edge in shots on goal and the total shots favored the home team as well, 15-13. The Highlanders had a 4-1 lead in corners.
 
Marist, which was blanked for the first time in three starts, had a shot by sophomore Kevin Kappock clank off the goal post in the 26th minute.
 
Saturday's win, in addition to being their first overall victory of 2015, snapped a winless streak of 10 consecutive winless games away from home going back to September 2014 for the Highlanders.
 
NJIT won its first 2014 away game, edging Jacksonville 3-2 on August 29, 2014 in Florida. The Highlanders went 0-8-1 in the remaining away and neutral site games last season. That contrasted with a 6-0-3 record at home. And the drought continued with the two away losses last weekend.
 
The Highlanders, on the road for the first three games this year, will play their home opener on Friday at 7 pm when they host Niagara on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.