Box Score

TEANECK, N.J. -- Freshman Casey Abelein (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Earl L. Vandermeulen)'s first career goal two seconds into the 103rd minute capped a two-goal comeback in the second half, as the Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team earned its first victory of the 2014 season in thrilling fashion, 3-2, over Princeton in double overtime on Friday night at University Stadium in the team's home opener. The game winner also gives head coach Seth Roland his 300th career victory in the process, as FDU improves to 1-2-0 on the season. The Tigers, meanwhile, begin their season 0-1-0.

"I'm really proud of the resilience the guys showed tonight in coming back from a two-goal deficit to win," Roland said. "Even when we were down 2-0, I thought we were playing well but just needed a goal to get a little momentum going. The crowd really got going when Sam (Durkot) scored on the free kick to make it 2-1, and then we just kept playing our game and eventually were able to break them down and get the tying and winning goals."

Things looked very bleak early on for the Knights, after Princeton's Cameron Porter scored three minutes and 15 seconds into the contest. The Tigers' striker received a cross in the box from Myles McGinley and beat FDU goalkeeper Aleksandar Djekic (Belgrade, Serbia/Druga Ekonomska Skola) with a shot to the right corner for a 1-0 lead.

The Knights would force Princeton goalie Ben Hummel to make his only save of the first half less than a minute later when Abelein's shot on goal was stopped.
Over the first 45 minutes, both sides manufactured five shots and two corner kicks apiece.

But 11 minutes into the second half the Tigers took a 2-0 lead, after Thomas Sanner delivered a one-touch ball to Andrew Doar, who let a shot go from the left flank about 25 yards out that beat Aleksandar Djekic (Belgrade, Serbia/Druga Ekonomska Skola).

Needing a spark, Roland substituted Djekic out for freshman Matthew Weigner (Warrington, Pa/Central Bucks South), and the defense went into lockdown mode over the final 43 minutes.

After a foul on the Tigers outside the 18 yard line on the right side near the end of the 64th minute, junior Sam Durkot (Centereach, N.Y./Newfield) scored his first career goal on a screaming free kick, as the lefty bypassed the Princeton wall with a perfectly-placed shot into the upper left corner to slice the deficit in half, 2-1.

Nearly 15 minutes later, a scrum in the Tigers' box led to a foul on Princeton, which gave FDU a penalty kick opportunity and a shot to tie the game. Senior Nico Wright (St. Catherine, Jamaica/Jamaica College), who missed a penalty kick at VCU the Friday before, curled his spot kick to the right corner of the goal to knot the game at 2-2. The equalizer was Wright's second goal of the young season.

The second 45 minutes came to an end, with the Knights outshooting the Tigers, 8-3, in the second half.

After FDU managed the only shot in the first 10-minute overtime, the opportunity for the game-winning goal would come very quickly in the second overtime. A foul on the Tigers right outside the 18 yard line gave sophomore Enver Caymaz (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes) an opportunity with a set piece. He ripped the free kick towards Hummel, who could only parry the ball into the path of Abelein, who found the back of the net.

Overall, the Knights outshot the Tigers, 16-8, with seven coming on goal, while Princeton held a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks. Neither FDU goalie made a save between the pipes in the contest. Hummel made four saves for the Tigers.
FDU returns to the pitch on Monday, Sept. 8 when it travels to Long Island to take on Stony Brook, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. in Stony Brook, N.Y.