NJIT Men Ends 2013 with 6-0 Victory

by ESNN
November 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC — NJIT produced its highest single-game goals total in more than 12 years, bringing down the curtain on the 2013 men's soccer season with a 6-0 rout at Howard Sunday afternoon in Greene Stadium.

The last time the Highlanders scored more than 6 goals was on October 30, 2001 when they were an NCAA Division II program and blasted St. Thomas Aquinas, 8-0. The previous high in a game since NJIT began Division I competition in 2004 came in a 5-0 win vs. Iona to open the 2006 season.

The victory for the Highlanders, who won their last two matches of the season by shutout (edged Lafayette 1-0 on November 5), completes the schedule with a 7-9-2 record (5-3-1 in October and November combined).

Although down a shade from last season's 10-9 mark, the 2013 record of 7-9-2 was the second-best in the NJIT program's 10-season Division I era.

Hearing the list of statistical accomplishments, NJIT coach Didier Orellana replied: "That's all something to be proud of, but I'm more concerned with how we played than with anything else. Did we step on the field with a purpose? And were we all on the same page? We did that today and if we do it with consistency, the record will take care of itself. I am very happy with how we ended (two shutout wins) and how things look for the future."

Howard, once a power in college soccer (1974 Division I national champions), finished this year at 1-17. The Bison who were unbeaten as 1974 national champs, also topped NJIT (then called Newark College of Engineering) in the 1961 national championship game of the small-college NAIA.

Sunday's entire 6-goal explosion came inside a span of 23:21 of the opening half. Jason Chippy led the way with his second and third goals of the season. Four other Highlanders—Jimmy Myers, Joshua Mercer, Victor Kausch, and Stephen McGeever—scored a goal each.

Myers got things started with a header off of a free kick from Marko Drljic in the 22nd minute. The assist for Drljic was his fourth and the junior finished the year with 16 points (6 G, 4 A), one shy of Franco Gamero's school DI-best 17 points (7 G, 3 A) a year ago.

Myers' fellow sophomore, Mercer, made it 2-0 with an unassisted goal at 28:43 and a pair of German freshmen, Beverst and Victor Kausch, got together on another goal just 49 seconds later, with Beverst assisting Kausch.

Mercer, among the best players on NJIT, finished with a goal in each of the last two games after going without one in an injury-hampered 10 prior appearances in 2013. Kausch's goal was his first at NJIT.

Chippy then netted his first goal of the day on a breakway, assisted by Tommy Osipitan at 37:40. McGeever, a freshman, bagged an unassisted goal, his second, in the 43rd minute and Chippy wrapped up the scoring, converting an assist from Matija Blazic 36 before the halftime whistle.

Each team used two goalkeepers. Alexander Czempik started for NJIT and made one save in 65 minutes, before David Tuchinsky came on to close out the clean sheet with two saves in 25 minutes. It was the first combined shutout for the two, who had played in the same game twice before.

Sunday's shutout was the 6th of the year for the Highlanders, who allowed 24 goals total in the 18 games. Both totals are the best for NJIT in the Division I era.

Hearing the list of statistical accomplishments, NJIT coach Didier Orellana responded: "That's all something to be proud of, but I'm more concerned with how we played than with anything else.

"Did we step on the field with a purpose? Were we all on the same page? We did all that today and if we do it with consistency, the record will take care of itself. I am very happy with how we ended and how things look for the future."

For Howard, freshman Jordan Austin, who backstopped Howard in a 2-1 overtime loss vs. VMI on November 2, played the first half and made one save while allowing all 6 NJIT goals. Eric Hamilton, the regular starter for HU, came on at the half and made 3 saves while keeping the ball out of the net.

The total shots were 16-5 for NJIT, including 10-3 in shots-on-goal. The Highlanders also enjoyed an 8-1 lead in corner kicks.

Seniors Franco Gamero, Trevor Nye, and Luqman Olawin all ended their college playing careers on Sunday. Gamero goes out with 15 career goals and 34 points, each of which are records for NJIT in Division I; Nye made his career-best 15th start of 2013; and, Olawin, who grew up in Nigeria, was already enrolled in NJIT as a mechanical engineering major when he made the team in an offseason walk-on tryout between the 2010 and 2011 seasons, came off the bench on Sunday.

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