Game 8	at Saint Joseph's
Date | Time	Saturday, March 16 | 3:00 pm
Location | Arena	Philadelphia, Pa. | Sweeney Field
Live Stats	In-Game Statistics
Live Video	NEC Front Row
All-time series	SJU leads 1-0
Game Notes	NJIT (PDF) | SJU

NEWARK, N.J. --- NJIT Men's Lacrosse hits the road for the first time in three weeks on Saturday when the Highlanders take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks in Philadelphia.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior Ryan Darrow recorded his second hat trick of the season with a trio of goals and added an assist while fellow senior Aaron Forster added a pair of goals and assists to match Darrow with a team-high four points for NJIT (1-6) in a 19-7 loss to UMass on March 9. Sophomores Colton Johnson and Jackson Boyd chipped in a goal apiece to round out the Highlanders' offensive output. Johnson was one of three NJIT players with a team-high three ground balls, with the others being senior Kevin Falteisek and sophomore Alexzander Hunt. Hunt was able to stop 21 shots on the night to mark the third time in seven contests that the second-year keeper made 20 or more saves in a game. 

LIGHTING IT UP
Aaron Forster's nine-goal, 11-assist performance against Quinnipiac on March 2 was memorable on a number of fronts. Both numbers extended Forster's previous school records (5 goals, March 17, 2017 vs Rutgers; 9 points, April 15, 2017 at Hampton) and currently place the Ottawa native atop the NCAA national lists in both categories.

ON A TEAR
Collin Fogerty's three-game run of multi-goal games this season 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. Forster has since surpassed Fogerty's streak with his current four-game multi-goal run (started February 23 at VMI).

MAKING A POINT
Ryan Darrow is the only Highlander this season to record at least one point in every game game:
- 3 at Lehigh (2 G / 1 A)
- 4 at Lafayette (3 G / 1 A)
- 1 vs Delaware (1 G)
- 2 at VMI (2 G)
- 2 vs Quinnipiac (2 A)
- 3 vs Monmouth (2 G /1 A)
- 4 vs UMass (4 G / 1 A)

OFF THE WALL
Alexzander Hunt already owns three of the top four 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. Hunt added a 21-save effort against UMass on March 9. 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). Hunt and NJIT currently lead the nation in saves per game (16.43).

TEAM LEADERS
Aaron Forster (19 goals, 7 assists, 26 points), John Tachon (31 ground balls), Tyler Stevenson (63-126 FOs; .500), Kevin Falteisek (12 caused turnovers), and Alexzander Hunt (115 saves) are pacing the Highlanders so far this season.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Aaron Forster and John Tachon currently rank in the top 10 in a number of active career categories. Forster's 98 points along with Tachon's 196 ground balls and 5.16 ground balls per game are all the 10th best nationally. 

(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 (98), assists (42), and points (140) in NJIT history.

THE MORE, THE MERRIER
In 3 of 7 games this season, NJIT has had at three players score multiple goals - at Lehigh, at Lafayette and at VMI.

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 (RV during NJIT game), 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 SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's - one of NJIT's future Northeast Conference members - enters Saturday's matchup having lost its last two games during the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic (10-7 against Drexel on March 8 and 13-6 vs. Pen on March 10). SJU is led by Nate Patterson (11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points), Zach Cole (38 ground balls, 78 faceoff wins), Liam Hare (14 caused turnovers), and Mike Adler (74 saves).

In their first-ever matchup, NJIT was defeated by SJU, 14-5 in Philly (March 16, 2018).