NJIT Edges Bulls in Overtime
NEWARK, NJ - A pair of first-half goals were not enough to snap the Buffalo men's soccer team's losing streak Friday evening, as the team lost on the road to NJIT in overtime, 3-2. After the Bulls had held a 2-1 lead late into the game, the Highlanders (4-4) scored the tying goal in the 83rd minute and netted the golden goal in the 93rd minute to drop the Bulls.
"Games like this are tough to take," head coach David Hesch said. "We did enough to win but we need to learn how to close out games."
After a disappointing result in its last game out, the Bulls (1-5-1) shook off the cobwebs quickly thanks to a Richard Craven goal in just the 12th minute of play. After a NJIT foul, the Bulls earned a direct kick from 20 yards out and Craven was able to convert with his third goal of the season.
The Highlanders tied the game up in the 39th minute on a shot that deflected off of two players before finding the back of the net. The Bulls were starting junior Jeremy Figler in goal for the first time since the 2010 season, and he played well under consistent pressure in the game, making five total saves.
The Bulls would quickly retake the lead in the 44th minute thanks to Marcus Hanson's first career goal. The freshman forward lefty took a pass from Craven and struck a cracking shot from 14 yards out and found paydirt to send UB into the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, the Highlanders went hunting for another game-tying goal, and nearly found it in the 50th minute off a corner kick. A Jimmy Myers header hit the post and ricocheted away harmlessly, the first of nine shot in the second half that NJIT attempted. The home team would eventually find the tying goal on a free kick of its own in the 83rd minute. The kick itself was blocked, but in the ensuing scramble Franco Gamero cleaned up the deflection for a 2-2 tie. A shot from Maksym Kowal was put on frame in the 85th minute but was saved, marking the last quality scoring opportunity for UB.
Just under three minutes into the first overtime period, NJIT took a free kick and Gamero would strike again, banking a header off the kick into goal for the win.
Buffalo will cap a three-game road trip Sunday with a match at Stony Brook. First kick will be at 1 pm.
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