Fairleigh-Dickinson men beat Robert Morris

The Fairleigh Dickinson men’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie Friday night versus Robert Morris at University Field in Teaneck.  It was a very windy and cold night for the Northeast Conference match.  A total of 40 shots were taken in the game, including 26 on goal.  A total of 23 saves were made my both goalkeepers.  The Knights are now 5-6-1 (1-3-1 NEC) on the season, while the Colonials are 6-4-2 (2-0-2 NEC) overall.

Nearly four minutes into the game, Robert Morris went up, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Neil Shaffer.

With the wind against them for the first half, the Knights were able to dominate play but were unable to score.  They outshot the Colonials, 8-7 over the first 45 minutes.

In the second half and with the wind at their back, the Knights unloaded on Colonials goalie Toba Bolaji.  They fired 15 shots at him in the second half, and every time they shot, Bolaji was up to the task.

However, just into the 70th minute, freshman Michael Calderon (San Jose, Costa Rica) scored his first career goal from about 20 yards out as he ripped one into the upper right side of the net to tie the game at one.

After both teams failed to score in regulation, overtime came into play.  However, both teams failed to capitalize in the final two 10-minute overtimes and ended up tying, 1-1.  The Knights outshot the Colonials, 5-1, in both periods.

For the game, the Knights outshot the Colonials, 28-12, a season high in shots for the Knights.  Bolaji turned away 17 shots, many from close range and two big ones in the second extra period.  Freshman Jacob Lissek (Highlands Ranch, CO) made six saves for the Knights.

Calderon had five shots on goal for the Knights.  Senior Samson Malijani (Lusaka, Zambia), sophomore Dominic Reinold (Wesseling, Germany) and freshman Nicholas Walker (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) each had three shots on goal.

“I thought we played great,” said Head Coach Seth Roland.  “We created a lot of opportunities.  Their goalkeeper was unbelievable.  I am proud of how we played.”

The Knights return to action on Sunday, October 17, as they host St. Francis (PA) in a Northeast Conference match.  Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm at University Field in Teaneck.