| Game 2 |
vs Monmouth (1-0) |
| Date | Time |
Monday, August 23, 2021 | 4:00 pm |
| Location | Arena |
Newark, N.J. | Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium |
| All-Time Series |
Monmouth leads 9-1 |
| Live Stats |
In-game statistics (free) |
| Live Video |
AmericaEast.TV |
NEWARK, N.J. --- The NJIT women's soccer team will open its 2021 home schedule on Monday afternoon as the Highlanders play host to the Monmouth Hawks on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
NJIT traveled to St. John's on Thursday (8/19) to kick off the 2021 season. The Highlanders started the game strong but were unable to knock off their first-ever Big East opponent, falling 3-0 to the Red Storm.
NJIT's six shots in the game were all taken by different players, as
Ciara Adams,
Jennifer Callaghan,
Ariana Caminos,
Caroline Caputo,
Lauren Chamberlain, and
Tara Walenczyk all registered chances and Chamberlain and Callaghan's attempts were on goal.
Molly Saylor played all 90 minutes in goal and made four saves on the night, including a pair of punched-away corner kicks during a run of three straight St. John's corner kicks around the 50th minute.
IN-STATE RIVALS
NJIT's matchup with Monmouth will be one of four contests the Highlanders will play against fellow New Jersey programs. The Highlanders will also face off against Seton Hall (home, August 26), Saint Peter's (home, Sept. 4) and Rider (away, Sept. 8).
APPLYING (DEFENSIVE) PRESSURE
NJIT won the corner kick battle against St. John's, 11-8 (including a 6-0 first half advantage) and recorded double digit corners for the first time since putting up ten against LIU Brooklyn on August 19, 2018.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
A combination of merit and attrition allowed head coach
Ally Nick to showcase some of her young players in Thursday's opener. Freshmen
Ciara Adams,
Caroline Caputo,
Daniella Vito, and
Taylor Pape all made the starting lineup against St. John's, the most true freshmen to start an opener under Nick during her six seasons in Newark.
BACK TO "NEW NORMAL"
After playing the 2020 campaign - its first season as members of the America East - during Spring 2021 and without fans, NJIT will have the chance to play a standard fall schedule in 2021 with fans back in attendance.
The Highlanders will play an 18-match schedule, equally divided between home, away, non-conference, and America East contests (nine each).
NJIT's fall spectator policy will allow fans to attend matches while wearing masks, regardless of vaccination status.
2021 OUTLOOK
The Highlanders will bring back 21 returners from the 2020 campaign played in Spring 2021 and welcome seven freshmen and one transfer into the program. The veteran-laden squad is primed to bounce back from an inaugural season in the America East that saw NJIT finish 2-6-1 (0-5-1 AE).
Sixth-year head coach
Ally Nick will be able to call on a quartet of fifth-year seniors exercising the extra year of eligibility afforded to them by the COVID-19 pandemic (
Jennifer Callaghan,
Christine Conaghy,
Yasmeen Malik,
Tara Walenczyk) and four members of this year's senior class (
Whitney Roth,
Angela Harris, and former ASUN award winners
Molly Saylor and
Siani Magruder) to bring the rest of the roster along to reach the program's goals.
2020 RETURNING STATS LEADERS
Goals:
Corbin Reifschneider/
Lauren Chamberlain - 2
Assists:
Christine Conaghy - 1
Points: Reifschneider/Chamberlain - 4
Shots: Chamberlain - 22
Saves:
Molly Saylor - 46
GAA: Saylor - 1.79
ALL-TIME SERIES
NJIT and Monmouth have met ten times in their history, with Monmouth leading the all-time series, 9-1. NJIT will be looking for its first win in the series since 2012 (2-1 home win, Sept. 2). Monmouth won the teams' last meeting, 1-0, on August 17, 2018.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Monmouth, the preseason choice to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, opened their 2021 season on Friday with a 1-0 home win over Lehigh. Preseason All-MAAC selection Lauren Karabin scored the game-winning goal for the Hawks in the second half of their game against the Mountain Hawks. Monmouth will be led by Karabin and fellow Preseason All-MAAC honorees Jill Conklin and Sarina Jones.
FOLLOW US
Stay up to date during the NJIT women's soccer season by following @NJITWSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Women's Soccer page on Facebook.
