NEWARK, NJ--NJIT, which garnered the 2019 ASUN Conference Regular Season title and earned the top seed for the championships, will host No. 4 Stetson in the semifinals on November 10 at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 3pm.
Video/Live Stats
The game will be streamed live on the Highlanders Sports Network. You can also follow along online via live stats.
All-Time Series
The series is tied at 2-2. Stetson was the lone team in ASUN Conference this season to top the Highlanders. William Suaut scored the lone goal of the match for the Hatters in the 77th minute, leading the Hatters to a 1-0 victory.
Student Tailgate
Stay warm before the ASUN Conference semifinal match on Sunday. Tailgate will be held at Tiernan Alley at 2pm with FREE donuts and hot chocholate, music, games and MORE.
ASUN Conference Semifinal Playoff
The first match on November 10 will feature host and No. 2 seed FGCU vs. No. 3 North Florida at 1 PM ET from the FGCU Soccer Complex. At 3 PM ET, top-seeded NJIT battles No. 4 Stetson from Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
North Florida came back from a 2-0 deficit late in the second half against Liberty and scored two goals in 82 seconds to send the game to overtime. From there, the Ospreys converted a PK to advance to the ASUN semifinals for the first time since 2015.
NJIT is looking to become just the second No. 1 seed to advance to the championship final in the last six years (Lipscomb, 2018).
ASUN Postseason Awards
The NJIT men's soccer program racked up four major ASUN Men's Soccer Postseason All-Conference Awards, including nine Highlanders earning All-Conference honors, headed by Unanimous ASUN Player of the Year Rene White.
White, the Highlanders redshirt junior forward, was selected Unanimous ASUN Player of the Year and named to the ASUN first-team.
Freshman Samuel Reisgys was named Goalkeeper of the Year and selected to the first-team and All-Freshmen team.
Alejandro Rabell picked up Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-Freshmen team.
Fourth-year head coach Fernando Barboto was selected ASUN Coach of the Year.
In addition to White and Reisgys, senior Andrew Nino earned first-team honors while four Highlanders — Joao Costa, Juan Zapata, Gerald Cubero and Thomas Radon were selected to the second-team.
Freshman Arrio Rusnak joined Rabell and Reisgys on the All-Freshmen team.
#1 NJIT (8-4-4; 5-1-0 ASUN)
All-Time Record in ASUN Championship: 0-1-1
No. 1 Seeds in ASUN Championship: 20-12-1
Last Time in ASUN Championship: 2017; First Round
ASUN Championship Titles: None
NJIT is in the ASUN Championship for the third time in program history but is the No. 1 seed for the first time after being picked seventh in the Preseason Poll. The Highlanders are in search for its first win (0-1-1) in postseason play.
The top-seed NJIT is 6-1-1 over its last eight matches of the season, which guided the Highlanders to the top seed with four of those six victories being shutouts.
Red-shirt junior forward and ASUN Player of the Year Rene White leads the conference in shots (44), points (34) and goals (16); his 16 goals rank second in the nation.
The Highlanders (8-4-4) have been ranked in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region poll all season, with its highest ranking, week two at the No. 2 spot . In week 10, NJIT ranks fifth out of nine teams.
#4 Stetson (7-9-2; 3-2-1 ASUN)
All-Time Record in ASUN Championship: 12-19-4
No. 4 Seeds in ASUN Championship: 14-21-0
Last Time in ASUN Championship: 2018; Runner-Up
ASUN Championship Titles: 2 (2005, '09)
No. 4 Stetson defeated No. 5 Lipscomb 2-1 in the first round of the ASUN Men's Soccer Conference Tournament on a goal with only three seconds remaining in the match. Stetson's Sebastian Chalbaud, ASUN All-Conference First Team selection, did the improbable when he netted a ball with 89:57 left on the clock advancing the Hatters to the Semifinals.
The Hatters have qualified for an ASUN record 24 tournaments with a 12-19-4 record over those years; however, Stetson is the No. 4 seed for just the third time ever.
The No. 4 seed has never won the championship title and only advanced to the final match on two occasions (2014 & 2015) since the tournament began seeding teams in 1982.
Goalkeeper Lute Lillo-Portero leads the league with 71 saves on the year and ranks fourth in both GAA (1.43) and save percentage (.717).
Stetson and NJIT square-off against each other for the first time in ASUN Championship history with the all-time series tied 2-2-0.
