NEWARK, N.J. --- NJIT Men's Lacrosse will host its second home game of the season on Saturday when the Highlanders take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats in a meeting of teams looking for their first win of the year. Quinnipiac leads the all-time series 4-0.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite multi-score games from sophomore
Collin Fogerty, senior
Ryan Darrow, and senior
Aaron Forster, the NJIT men's lacrosse team lost on the road to Virginia Military Institute Keydets, 15-8, on February 23. Fogerty led NJIT (0-4) with three goals on the day while Darrow and Forster each netted a pair of scores. Forster also logged one of the Highlanders' two assists to join Fogerty as the only Highlanders to register three points against the Keydets (2-0).
ON A TEAR
Collin Fogerty's current three-game run of multi-goal games is the longest such streak for the Highlanders since
Aaron Forster rattled off five straight games of 2+ goals from February 13 to March 6 of last season.
OFF THE WALL
Sophomore
Alexzander Hunt, only a few games into his first as NJIT's starting goalkeeper, owns two of the top three single-game save performances in Highlander history. Hunt made a school-record 22 saves against Delaware at home on February 16 and followed it up with a 20-save outing at VMI last week. The old record and only other 20-save performance in NJIT history belonged to former Highlander
Nick Marzullo (21 vs UMass-Lowell on April 29, 2017).
TEAM LEADERS
Ryan Darrow (8 goals, 10 points),
Aaron Forster (3 assists),
John Tachon (20 ground balls),
Tyler Stevenson (43-81 FOs; .531), and
Kevin Falteisek (10 caused turnovers) are pacing the Highlanders so far this season.
(CLOSE TO) HOME SWEET HOME
NJIT's 2019 home schedule is its first as a program that will be played exclusively in Newark. The Highlanders have played the majority of their home games for the last four years at Drew University and are expected to begin play on NJIT's new on-campus field in 2020 when they become members of the Northeast Conference.
HIGHEST OF HIGHLANDERS
Aaron Forster continues to sit atop the record books for the young Highlander program. After his last game, Forster extended his marks for most career goals (85), assists (38), and points (123) in NJIT history.
THE MORE, THE MERRIER
Ryan Darrow and
Cole Robillard's pair of multi-goal games in the opener at No. 13 Lehigh - the first time since April 21, 2018 that two players scored at least two goals in the same game - was topped against Lafayette. Forster and Darrow each scoring three times was the first time NJIT teammates netted at least three goals in the same game since April 15, 2017, when Forster (4 goals) and Ryan Callaghan (3) combined for seven of the Highlanders' 17 goals in a victory at Hampton.
CAPTAINS FOR 2019
Fifth-year head coach
Travis Johnson has announced the four student-athletes who were voted captains by their teammates for 2019. Selected to lead the Highlanders are: senior midfielder
Ryan Darrow, senior attacker
Aaron Forster, junior attacker
Ryan Kaden, and junior defender
John Tachon. "Our team has chosen four outstanding young men that are stellar student-athletes, great leaders, high character men and phenomenal people. They lead by example and elevate the people around them. We are excited that they will lead us in the 2019 season," Johnson said about the quartet.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
The Highlanders have continued to grow in their program in their five seasons of existence. After bringing in their largest squad ever in 2018 (38 members), the Highlanders has increased their numbers this year to 43 after bringing 11 newcomers into the fold.
QUALITY COMPETITION
NJIT'S 15-game schedule includes matchups with four teams that have been ranked in either the Inside Lacrosse or USILA poll at some point this season: Lehigh (13th during NJIT game), UMass, Georgetown, and Army West Point.
IN 2018...
- Forster paced NJIT in goals (30), assists (13), total points (43), man-up goals (6), shots (109), and shots on goal (58).
- Tachon scooped up the most ground balls (94) and caused the most turnovers (18).
-
Adam Gonzalez won 43.5% of his faceoffs (91-209) to lead the Highlanders.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
Quinnipiac enters Saturday's matchup having lost its previous game on the road at Vermont, 20-10. The Bobcats are led by Jake Tomsik (6 goals), Will Abbott (3 assists, 10 points), Demitri George (16 ground balls), Matthew Federico (4 caused turnovers) and Nick DiMuccio (50 saves, .495 save %, 17.40 GAA).
NJIT suffered an 18-6 defeat at Quinnipiac in the last meeting between the two teams (March 3, 2018).
