Women's Soccer Holds Off Defending AE Champ Vermont With 2-1 Victory

Published: Sunday, October 23, 2022

The NJIT women's soccer team picked up a crucial victory and sent their seniors out in style with a 2-1 win over defending America East champion Vermont Sunday afternoon at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.

The Highlanders (4-7-6, 1-4-2 AE) needed a victory to keep their chances of securing the final berth in next week's America East Playoffs alive and the team rose to the challenge to earn their first league win of the season.

THE RUNDOWN

  • In her first game since being named America East Rookie of the Week, freshman Riley Jones continued her outstanding late-season form by putting NJIT on the board in the 22nd minute. Jones corralled a loose ball played by an NJIT and Vermont player about 25 yards out, made a couple of moves to get into the box, and chipped a curving ball over the head and outstretched arms of UVM's Erin Murphy.
  • NJIT maintained the 1-0 edge over Vermont (4-9-2, 0-5-2 AE) into halftime before the second period opened with a bit of an offensive explosion.
  • The Highlanders gathered control of the second half kickoff, and took a 2-0 lead 28 seconds into the frame (46') on a Ciara Adams-to-Bailey Chant connection. Adams passed the ball into Chant just outside of the box on the left side and Chant took a touch while avoiding a defender and curled in a shot off the side of her right foot. 
  • Nearly three minutes later (49'), UVM cut the Highlander lead in half as Jill Brody's individual effort from the edge of the 18 yard box just slipped past the obstructed view and diving arm of sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Constantine.
  • UVM kept the pressure on NJIT after scoring, outshooting the Highlanders 9-2 the rest of the way. 
  • In the 79th minute, the Catamounts' best chance to tie the match was negated by Constantine's best stop of the afternoon. Brody once again took on the Highlander defense by herself and launched a shot from a step inside the box but Constantine dove and fully extended to her right side and tipped the ball away.
  • Constantine - who made her second straight and second career start on Sunday while finishing with five saves - was helped out throughout the game by NJIT's vaulted backline, particularly junior Emma Bitar, who cleared a number of shots off the goal line in the first half and was all over the field in the game. 

OTHER NOTES

  • Sunday's win over UVM snapped a streak of 11 straight wins as a program coming via shutout. The last time NJIT had won a game that was not a clean sheet was its 3-1 season opening win over Drexel to open the 2020 (Spring 2021) campaign on February 21, 2021.
    • 2/28/21 vs Wagner: 1-0
    • 9/2/21 vs Wagner: 1-0
    • 9/4/21 vs Saint Peter's: 6-0
    • 9/26/21 vs Maine: 1-0
    • 9/30/21 vs Stony Brook: 1-0
    • 10/17/21 at UNH: 1-0
    • 10/24/21 vs UAlbany: 1-0 (OT)
    • 10/28/21 at Hartford: 1-0
    • 8/18/22 vs LIU: 4-0
    • 9/11/22 at Saint Peter's: 2-0
    • 10/7/22 vs Delaware State: 4-0
  • The league win was also NJIT's first-ever as members of the America East that was not a shutout. The Highlanders' first five wins in AE play were in 2021 (second year in the league), all by 1-0 margins
  • NJIT was outshout by UVM, 16-8, marking the first time this season in the Highlanders' four wins that the team conceded more attempts.
  • For the second year in a row, the Highlanders defeated the previous year's America East Tournament champion during the regular season. On Sept. 30, 2021, NJIT beat two-time defending tourney champ Stony Brook, 1-0, on a header from alumna Yasmeen Malik.
  • Chant - the current leader in career goals among active Highlanders - increased her career tally to nine with her goal Sunday (2 in 2019, 1 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 3 in 2022).
  • During pre-game and at halftime, NJIT honored 11 total players - its eight-member senior class (Lily Bray, Ariana Caminos, Lauren Chamberlain, Bailey Chant, Gabby Lamadieu, Cassidy Landis, Nora O'Connor, and Madison Taibl) and its three fifth-year players (Angela Harris, Siani Magruder, and Molly Saylor).
  • More than a dozen women's soccer alumnae were also in attendance for Sunday's game and were recognized.

NEXT UP
NJIT will close out the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 27 at America East newcomer Bryant. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.