NEWARK, NJ--The NJIT men's soccer team will return to action on Tuesday, March 12 when the Highlanders host Hofstra in a 11am non-conference matchup at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. The match time was originally scheduled for 3pm.
No Spectators at NJIT Athletic Contests
Due to COVID protocol policy, NJIT Department of Athletics is Prohibiting Spectators at our Indoor & Outdoor Athletic Events.
Game Information
Game time is slated for 11am on Tuesday, March 16. The match will be streamed live on America East TV with in-game statistics available on www.NJITHighlanders.com.
New Home for the Highlanders
NJIT, which officially joined the league on July 1, 2020, as the 10th full member institution, will begin its inaugural season in the America East on February 26 when the Highlanders visit UMBC.
The Highlanders were picked to finish fourth according to a vote of the league's coaches.
All-Time Series
NJIT and Hofstra will meet for the first time.
NJIT Outlook
The Highlanders will be returning to competition off the programs first-ever ASUN Conference Regular Season and Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
NJIT, which finished with a Division I school-record ten wins last season, ranked in the Top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region poll all season, with its highest ranking coming during the second week of the season (No. 2). NJIT closed the season ranked fifth out of 10 teams.
The Highlanders finished last season 10-5-4 overall, 5-1-0 in the ASUN.
NJIT return seven players who earned All-ASUN honors including, Coach of the Year (Fernando Barboto), Player of the Year (Rene White), Goalkeeper of the Year (Samuel Reisgys) and Rookie of the Year (Alejandro Rabell).
Last Time Out
Stony Brook scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of action and held on for the 2-0 road victory at NJIT Friday evening in men's soccer America East Conference action at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
The overall shots were even at 16-16 while Stony Brook held a 7-3 advantage in shot on goal. NJIT's Regsan Watkins and Tomas Jorge led the Highlanders with four shots each followed by Thomas Radon with three.
Scouting the Highlanders
Watkins leads NJIT in scoring with one goal and one assist. Rene White, Zach Halma, Sergio Pita, and Tomas Jorge each have one goal for the Highlanders.
Rabell, Jose Adames, and Jose Escandon have each added assists.
Reisgys has a 1.86 goals against average and 19 saves in goal. His 6.33 saves per game rank first in the America East.
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra (2-2) is coming off a 3-0 victory over Drexel in the Pride's Colonial Athletic Association opener this past Saturday. Matthew Vowinkel scored two goals and added an assist in the game and Wessel Speel recorded four saves to earn his first career shutout.
Vowinkel leads the Pride in scoring with three goals and an assist for seven points. Storm Strongin paces the Pride with three assists while Speel has started all four games in goal and has a 1.25 goals against average and 11 saves.
Next Up
NJIT will return to America East Conference action on Friday when the Highlanders visit Vermont in Burlington, VT. Kickoff is slated for 2pm. Friday will mark the first all-time meeting between the two schools.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2021 NJIT men's soccer season by following @NJITSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Soccer page on Facebook.
