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 Clay Smith |
October 7, 2006
NEWARK, NJ - The pendulum swung back and forth all day, but the final swing favored Philadelphia University in its 3-2 Atlantic Soccer Conference victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon on Lubetkin Field.
The win boosted Philadelphia past NJIT in the conference standings, as the Rams raised their ASC record to 2-1, while the Highlanders fell to 1-1-1. Each team hit the midpoint of the six-game conference schedule.
It took 42:57 before anyone scored, but then the teams alternated goals in an end-to-end contest decided in the Rams' favor on a goal by Matt Tompkins in the 69th minute.
All five goals were scored by different players, as Frederick Douglas, Anders Novesky and Tomkins made the scoresheet for Philadelphia, while Bobby Herrera and Clay Smith scored for the Highlanders. Novesky added an assist for the Rams.
Both teams operated freely throughout, but both got their first goals on penalty kicks. The first, for Philadelphia, was scored in the 43rd minute by Douglas, whose pk made the Highlanders pay for a foul on Chris Ireland, who was hauled down from behind in the box.
Trailing on the late first-half goal, NJIT pulled even just 7:19 into the second half on Herrera's penalty kick, awarded when the Rams were called for a hand ball in the penalty area.
It took just 31 seconds for Philadelphia to retake the lead, as Novesky converted a one-on-one breakaway chance that was set up by Devon Klipp.
The Highlanders, who used a man advantage to create pressure that resembled a hockey power play, again knotted the score on a hard shot across the goal mouth by Smith, assisted by Greg Spaulding at 60:23.
Philadelphia climbed back into the lead for good, as Tompkins, unmarked, scored on a quick feed from Novesky at 68:48.
Both teams had chances over the final 21 minutes and the Highlanders were pressing for the equalizer into the closing seconds, but it never came.
The wide-open nature of the game left the goalkeepers with little hope of stopping any of the shots that wound up as goals. Philadelphia's Charles Custer made 4 saves, while Josh Osit saved 6 for the Highlanders. The shots were 14-13 for the visitors, while the corner kicks favored NJIT, 7-4.
The Highlanders, who completed their 2006 home schedule on Saturday, will play the first of five straight road games when they visit Bucknell for a non-conference match on Tuesday night at 7 o'clock.
