VIDEO: Highlights vs. UNH
VIDEO: Post Game Interview w/ Fernando Barboto
NEWARK, NJ – NJIT erupted for four first-half goals and added two more after the break to earn a 6-3 victory over New Hampshire in America East Conference men's soccer action Saturday night at Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium.
Five different Highlanders found the back of the net in the win.
The victory marked NJIT's first-ever win over New Hampshire since the teams first met in 2021.
The last time NJIT scored six goals dates back to November 2013, a 6-0 win over Howard.
The Highlanders extended their unbeaten streak to five matches, improving to 6-4-2 overall and 2-0-1 in America East play to move into a tie for first place with Vermont. The Wildcats fell to 5-4-3 overall and 0-2-1 in conference play.
NJIT finished with a commanding 23-11 advantage in shots, including 14 attempts on goal. The Highlanders scored four times in the opening half, while New Hampshire netted all three of its goals after halftime.
Diogo Rebelo led the offensive charge with one goal and four assists for six points. His four assists established a new NJIT Division I single-game record and tied the America East single-game record.
Rebelo's four assists were one shy of the NJIT all-time single-game record of five, set by Myron Worobec against Stevens in 1964. His performance places him in a tie for second on the program's all-time single-game list with Andy Handweker (1962) and Jose Dias (1974).
Rebelo's six-point performance was the most by an NJIT player in a single match since Regsan Watkins recorded six points on three goals against Stony Brook on April 2, 2021.
NJIT wasted little time applying pressure, as Rebelo fired a shot wide at 2:58 before Maximus Barboto opened the scoring at 3:28. Barboto finished a play set up by Jeremy Klinger and Rebelo to give the Highlanders an early 1-0 advantage.
Eric Sadlocha doubled the lead at 17:26, converting a chance assisted by Riley Davis and Rebelo. NJIT goalkeeper Andre Faerman kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard with a save on Cabot McLaren at 23:18, preserving the Highlanders' two-goal cushion.
Sadlocha struck again at 27:53, finishing off a pass from Rebelo to make it 3-0.
NJIT continued to control the attack, and
Mateusz Marciniak capped the first-half scoring at 38:07 with a goal assisted by
Henrique Sardinha and
Itay Soffer.
The Highlanders carried a 4-0 lead into halftime after generating several additional chances, with New Hampshire goalkeeper Aaron Choi making four more saves to keep the deficit at four.
New Hampshire got on the board from the penalty spot at 58:25, as Miguel Soto Gonzalez cut the deficit to 4-1. NJIT responded at 69:50 when Zain Thompson finished a play assisted by Rebelo and Barboto to restore the four-goal advantage at 5-1.
The Highlanders continued to create opportunities with attempts from Thompson, Barboto and Jake Rubis before Rebelo converted a penalty kick at 77:57 to extend the lead to 6-1.
The Wildcats added two late penalty-kick goals, with David Davila scoring at 83:28 and Lukas Kuca converting at 89:06. NJIT, however, maintained control to secure the 6-3 victory.
Sadlocha finished with two goals, while Barboto and Thompson each recorded a goal and an assist. Rebelo's goal and four assists paced an NJIT attack that produced six goals and extended the Highlanders' unbeaten run to five matches.
Next Up
NJIT heads to Philadelphia to take on La Salle on Tuesday, October 13, at 6 p.m. in its final non-conference match of the season.
Stay Connected
Follow NJIT men's soccer on X and Instagram at @NJITSoccer, and like NJIT Men's Soccer on Facebook for the latest news, scores and updates.
