BALTIMORE, MD – NJIT battled UMBC to a 3-3 draw Tuesday evening at Retriever Soccer Park in the America East Conference regular season finale, with sophomore Diogo Rebelo scoring twice and freshman Zain Thompson adding a late goal for the Highlanders.
After trailing 1-0 at halftime, NJIT erupted for three second-half goals, including a pair from Rebelo, to take a 3-2 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Thompson put the Highlanders back in front in the 83rd minute, but UMBC found the equalizer in the closing minutes to secure the draw.
NJIT finished with eight shots on goal, matching UMBC's total, despite the Retrievers holding a 24-18 advantage in total shots.
UMBC struck early, taking a 1-0 lead at 6:24 on a goal by Tancredi Fadda, assisted by Gunder Miller and Abdul Kamara. The Retrievers generated several additional opportunities throughout the opening half, but NJIT goalkeeper Andre Faerman helped keep the Highlanders within striking distance.
NJIT began to find its rhythm after the break, applying pressure with a series of shots and corner kicks. The Highlanders' persistence paid off in the 59th minute when Rebelo found the back of the net at 58:24, finishing a play set up by Jaime Barbero and Maximus Barboto to even the score at 1-1.
The assist for Barboto was his seventh of the season and 20th of his career in a Highlander uniform which set a new NJIT Division I school record, surpassing Alejandro Rebelo (19 career assists).
Faerman came up with two important saves on Simon Vujinovic in the 68th and 77th minutes to keep the match level before NJIT took its first lead of the evening.
Rebelo struck again at 78:58, scoring his second goal of the night to give the Highlanders a 2-1 advantage.
UMBC responded just over a minute later, as Flynn Holdem scored at 80:21 to bring the match even at 2-2.
NJIT quickly regained the lead. In the 83rd minute, Thompson finished a scoring opportunity at 82:20, with Jake Rubis and Mateusz Marciniak providing the assists, putting the Highlanders ahead 3-2.
UMBC continued to press in the closing minutes and found the equalizer at 88:33, as Holdem scored his second goal of the night to make it 3-3. Despite NJIT's late efforts, neither side found a game-winner as the teams finished level.
Next Up
NJIT enters the 2026 America East Conference Championships as the No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 New Hampshire in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, November 7, at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Highlanders and Wildcats met earlier this season on October 10, when NJIT earned an impressive 6-3 victory. Five different Highlanders found the back of the net in the offensive outburst, marking NJIT's first-ever victory over New Hampshire since the programs first met in 2021.
The six-goal performance was also NJIT's highest-scoring outing since November 2013, when the Highlanders defeated Howard, 6-0.
NJIT will look to carry that offensive momentum into Saturday's postseason matchup as the Highlanders begin their quest for an America East Championship.
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