Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Navy sophomore Jamie Dubyoski assisted on Navy's first goal, was fouled for a penalty to set up the second goal and scored the final goal of the night for the Midshipmen, who won their eighth consecutive men's soccer game, 3-1, over visiting NJIT Tuesday night at the Naval Academy's Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
Dubyoski, the leading scorer in the Patriot League with 20 points, had the primary assist on the opening goal, scored by Grant Valenstein at 13:06 and later tallied his 9th goal of the year, to pace Navy (9-3-2). Dubyoski was also taken down in the box early in the second half setting up a penalty kick by Joseph Greenspan at 47:35.
NJIT is 5-9-2 after losing its first-ever game vs. Navy, which is 37th in the latest official NCAA Division I Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
Valenstein's goal got things started in the 14th minute and Greenspan's pk made it 2-0 for the Midshipmen 2:35 into the second half.
Marko Drljic got a goal back for the Highlanders off of a direct free kick in the 53rd minute. Drljic, whose recent playing status has been a game-time decision due to a lingering injury, came off the bench for the first time in his NJIT career and scored his team-leading 6th goal on a direct free kick.
The score stayed at 2-1 for nearly half an hour, until Dubyoski added insurance for Navy in the 82nd minute, assisted by Alex Evans and Derek Vogel.
The total shots were 23-16 for the winners, including a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal. Another NJIT shot, by
Joshua Mercer in the 22nd minute with the Highlanders trailing, 1-0, hit the crossbar and his bicycle kick attempt seconds later off the rebound went wide.
Navy's senior goalkeeper Gavin Snyder notched 5 saves, while NJIT keeper
Alexander Czempik stopped 7 Navy shots.
Navy drew first blood in the 14th minute when senior Dave Arnold played a ball to Dubyoski on the left side. The dangerous sophomore cut the ball back inside to a streaking Valenstein, who finished on a one-touch with his left foot to the right side of the goal.
NJIT's best first-half chance came after a cross from freshman
Stephen McGeever to Mercer, whose point-blank header hit the crossbar and came back into play for Mercer's bicycle kick try on the rebound.
Mercer had another chance later in the first half when his shot in the 34th minute was deflected by Navy keeper Snyder off the post and back into play.
Navy's second goal came after Dubyoski got free behind the NJIT defense and was fouled by Czempik, the Highlander keeper, for a penalty. Greenspan, a 6-foot-6 junior from Westfield, NJ, not far from NJIT, took the penalty kick and fired home his fifth goal of the season and 15th of his Navy career.
Drljic got the Highlanders back in contention, restarting quickly on the free kick and sending the ball into the net before the Midshipmen appeared ready at 52:45.
Dubyoski's insurance goal, less than nine ,inutes from the end, finished a play that began with Vogel sending the ball ahead to Evans, who sent it on to Dubyoski whose shot was tipped by Czempik, but not enough to keep it out of the net.
NJIT has exactly two weeks until its next game, when the Highlanders host Lafayette on Tuesday, November 5 at 7 pm. The game on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium will be Senior Night in the 2013 home finale for the Highlanders.
