Women's Soccer Completes Furious Comeback, Rallies To Beat FDU 3-2

Despite falling behind by two goals - and having a first half goal effectively disallowed - the NJIT women's soccer team showed its grit and determination by rallying to earn a 3-2 victory over the visiting FDU Knights Sunday afternoon at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.

The Highlanders (3-1-2) - who earned their first-ever win over FDU (0-6) with the comeback - found themselves behind the eight-ball early as an inadvertent handball call on freshman Merle Hueser (2') led to a successful FDU penalty kick and the first home goal and deficit NJIT has faced this year.

NJIT had seemingly equalized in the 25th minute on a Briana Andreoli breakaway but her shot - which clearly crossed the goalline, hit the bottom back bar of the goal, and bounced out - was not ruled a goal. NJIT would continue to apply pressure afterwards - half of their eight first-half shots came after Andreoli's chance - but were unable to record an official equalizer before intermission as FDU took their one-goal edge into the locker room.

FDU would add a second goal in the 52nd minute after pressuring NJIT in its defensive third and converting a shot from the right side of the box that was still nearly stopped by Samantha Constantine.

With their backs against the wall, the Highlanders started to turn things around - quickly.

After drawing a foul near midfield, NJIT got on the board in the 56th minute on a Riley Jones free kick that was perfectly settled in the box and put home by Caroline Caputo to cut the score to 2-1. Sixty-five seconds later (57'), the Highlanders tied the match on a beautiful end-to-end transition that went from Gabby Zalot on the left wing, to Andreoli in the box, and across to Ciara Adams for a goal that went straight through the legs of the FDU goalkeeper.

Twenty minutes after leveling the match, NJIT went ahead for good. A similarly excellent transition from defense to offense set up the winning sequence: an interception by Hueser, an evading dribble and forward pass from Emma Bitar, a long through ball along the wing from Zalot, a streaking run from Andreoli to control and cross the ball on the ground, and a tap in from Maria Nogueira in front of goal and past the FDU keeper off her line.

Adams and Caputo picked up their first goals of the season while Nogueira tallied her second in as many games. Zalot's two assists push her team leading point total to eight and Andreoli's two helpers were the firsts of her career.

OTHER NOTES

• Today's victory is the 50th in head coach Ally Nick's career - all at NJIT. Since coming to Newark in 2016, Nick has won 6, 9, 11, 7, 2, 7, 5, and so far 3 games across eight seasons.
• After going 12 years between two-goal rallies (October 8, 2010 at Delaware State to October 27, 2022 at Bryant), NJIT produced a second two-goal rally in as many seasons on Sunday.
• The Highlanders have now produced a pair of games in which they assisted on three goals (the other - August 20 against Saint Peter's).
• NJIT's goal distribution now sits at 14 goals from 12 different players. The most diverse offensive season in Division I program history (since 2006) came last year when 14 different players scored the team's 22 goals across 19 games.
• After scoring one goal in 14 matches as a freshman in 2022, Nogueira has gone 2-for-2 in games scored in this year.
• Never before in the Division I era has a Highlander team produced two double assists in a single game like NJIT did against FDU.

NEXT UP
NJIT will take on Coach Nick's alma mater La Salle on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in Newark.