NEWARK, N.J. - Freshman JC Echezuria recorded a team-high five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his collegiate debut, but the NJIT lacrosse team (0-1) fell to St. John's (1-0), 15-14, on Saturday at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. The game featured 10 lead changes.
 
St. John's opened the game with the first two goals before NJIT responded with three unanswered goals, including the first collegiate goals for Echezuria and Christopher Eiselein. The Red Storm led 5-4 after the first quarter.
 
The Highlanders came out strong in the second quarter, scoring three straight goals. Russell Maher netted his first two goals as a Highlander at the 14:15 and 10:39 marks in the second period. The game was tied 9-9 at halftime.
 
Scoring slowed down in the third quarter, with Alystair Hemberger scoring off an Echezuria assist at 4:49 to tie the game at 10-10.
 
After St. John's scored on the man-up opportunity with 14 minutes left in the game, NJIT scored three straight goals to take a 14-13 lead. However, Brian Kelly scored the game-winning goal for St. John's with 3:25 remaining.
 
NJIT had a 48-36 advantage in shots, 31-27 in ground balls, 19-12 in faceoffs, and were 15-19 in clearing attempts. Freshman goalkeeper Cameron Kurdlya made eight saves in the game.
 
Hemberger recorded the first hat trick of his collegiate career. Jesse Roth finished with four points (1 goal, 3 assists), and Benjamin Roberts added three points (1 goal, 2 assists), extending his point-scoring streak to 10 games. Maher and Ryan Sininsky each scored two goals.
 
Adrian Nowak led St. John's with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists). Kelly (1 goal, 5 assists) and Ryan Ormond (6 goals) added six points each. St. John's goalkeeper Patrick Scarboroug made 14 saves.
 
NEXT UP
The Highlanders will play their first road game of the season against Lafayette on Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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