VIDEO: NJIT Highlights vs. La Salle
VIDEO: Post Game Interview with Head Coach Fernando Barboto
NEWARK, NJ–Sophomore Hugo Tavares late goal in the second half lifted NJIT past visiting La Salle, 3-2, Tuesday evening in men's soccer non-conference action at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
NJIT earned three points with the victory, moving to 2-2-2 overall and remaining undefeated at home (2-0-1) while La Salle moved to 3-2-1 overall.
From the Coach
"I thought the group showed a lot of resilience to get back under tough circumstances," eighth-year head coach Fernando Barboto commented postgame. "They put us under a lot of pressure, they sent a lot of numbers forward and then we got the red card. We had to pick our moments to go forward and we picked that one moment and we got it right. It was a great effort to say the least to get out of there with a 3-2 win, I thought it was going to end up with another tie."
How It Happened
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NJIT got on the board quickly 1-0 on a goal by sophomore Alvaro Heredia in the second minute of action. Heredia made a nice move in the box, taking the initial shot which was blocked by a La Salle defender and followed up with a second shot past La Salle's keeper Filip Sabatti for a 1-0 lead.
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A minute later, NJIT went ahead 2-0 on a goal by Sergio Martinez Cubel assisted by Maximus Barboto. Barboto placed the ball ahead of a running Martinez Cubel who fired a right-footed strike to the right of the Explorer keeper.
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NJIT dominated the first 45 minutes, taking a 15-3 advantage in overall shots (4-2 SOG). Heredia, Barboto and Cubel each recorded three shots.
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NJIT continued its momentum to start the second half with three early shots by Heredia, Karmel Segui (53rd) with a header high over the crossbar and Martinez Cubel (54th).
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Samuel Reisgys kept La Salle off the board in the 61st minute with a one-handed punch out.
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One minute later, the Explorers netted its first goal of the match on a shot by Yuval Nimrodi, tucking the ball past a diving Highlander keeper to the lower left corner.
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In the 63rd minute, Barboto blasted a left-footed shot which stayed wide right.
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La Salle scored the equalizer in the 75th minute on a serve in the box to Americo Pereira to tie the match at 2-2.
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NJIT regained the lead two minutes later on a short pass by freshman Cristian LoGrasso to Barboto who served the ball into the box to a running Hugo Taveres who headed home NJIT's third goal of the match to take a 3-2 lead.
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The Highlanders finished with a 21-11 advantage in overall shots paced by Heredia, Barboto, and Martinez Cubel each with four shots.
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Graduate student Reisgys combined for five saves in the Highlanders win.
Top Performers
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Heredia scored for the second straight match and recorded his second goal of the season in a Highlander uniform.
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Barboto, the 2022 America East Rookie of the Year, tallied four assists last season, and currently sits with six assists in 2023 which leads the America East. For Barboto's young career, he stands at 10 assists which ranks tied for sixth all-time in the NJIT Division I era. The six assists in a season ranks tied for third in the NJIT DI era. Andrew Nino holds the NJIT DI record for assists in a season with eight set in 2019.
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Barboto has recorded at least one assist in four-out-of-six matches this season, including a pair of matches with two assists (vs. Villanova; vs. La Salle).
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The goal for Tavares is his third of the season which leads the Highlander offense.
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Barboto (6A) and Tavares (3G) lead the team with six points.
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Reisgys has started 67 matches in goal and has combined for 256 saves, which sits atop in the NJIT record books.
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LoGrasso registered his first collegiate assist of his career.
Next Up
NJIT will return to action on Saturday when the Highlanders host Sacred Heart. Kickoff is slated for 6pm on America East TV.
