NJIT put a scare into the Scarlet Knights early in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 20th minute. Jack McVey played a cross through the penalty area where Osvaldo Perez was streaking through the center of the box. Perez was able to get a foot on the pass and slot the goal by sophomore keeper Alex Morgans (Jackson, N.J.).

 

The Highlander’s one-goal advantaged was short-lived, however, as the Scarlet Knights responded with a flurry, shots scoring a pair of goals in a 19 second span. Rutgers outshot NJIT 19-11 for the afternoon, putting a total of seven shots on goal.

 

“We made it very difficult on ourselves tonight,” said head coach Bob Reasso. “You have to credit NJIT but with three former Rutgers guys on their bench, I figured they’d be ready to play. We were very lethargic in the first half. We didn’t play at all until they scored and then we started to pass the ball and play.

 

“We made a couple substitutions, got two goals and actually should have scored another one but we didn’t. The third goal puts that [game] away. We didn’t manage the one-goal lead well enough but at the end of the day, playing a game sandwiched between two monstrous BIG EAST games, it’s always tough to get your guys focused. As a coach, I’m more concerned with midweek non-BIG EAST games because you know your guys are going to come out to play [for conference games]. I think you clearly saw a different team than we had against Cincinnati. You have to give Pedro’s [Lopes, head coach NJIT] team credit, they played hard, he’s a very good coach but we made very difficult work of it.”

 

Two minutes after being substituted into the game, Archer made his presence felt, delivering a strike from 30 yards out to tie the contest at 1-1. In an attempt to clear a barrage of Rutgers shots, NJIT goalkeeper Ryan Sutherland punched a shot out of the penalty area, however, the clearance landed at the feet of Archer who saw the perfect opportunity to tally his first goal of the season. Archer played the ball over to the center of the field and blasted a shot that went directly into the net, knotting the game in the 34th minute.

 

“Sam [Archer] scored a spectacular goal,” said Reasso. “He struggled all season long finding his form and I’m hoping that goal will ignite him. It was just a tremendous strike and it was exactly what the team needed. He gave us a lift.”

 

“All I was thinking in my head was connect, get the technique down,” said Archer of his game-tying goal. “I hit it, saw it go in and I couldn’t believe it. When it left my foot, I felt good about it. You have that feeling when it’s a good strike. I knew something was going to happen.”

 

Archer had a hand in the Scarlet Knights’ next tally as he collected a pass from sophomore Nate Bourdeau (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and played it ahead to Kamara. The North Brunswick native then settle the offering just outside the penalty area and beat NJIT for the game-winner and his team-best sixth goal of the year. Morgans made three saves in goal for Rutgers and earned his second win, moving to 2-3.

 

With the win, the Scarlet Knights improved to 5-2 at home which bodes well for the team as they close out the regular season with two of their three remaining games at Yurcak Field. Rutgers will look to better position itself in the conference standings for the BIG EAST Championship.

 

“This is our field and we shouldn’t lose to anyone on our field,” said Archer. “We have that instilled within the whole team that we can’t lose at home because we need these [wins]. We’re back at .500 (7-7) and now we’re looking forward to our next BIG EAST games.”

 

Rutgers will play its final three conference matches, starting with at road game at Louisville on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Scarlet Knights will then host Villanova (Oct. 28) and USF (Oct. 31) to close out the regular season.