NEWARK, NJ--NJIT will kick off America East Conference play on September 18, hosting UMass Lowell on Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6pm on ESPN3.
Game Information
Kickoff is set for 6pm at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN3 with in-game statistics available on www.NJITHighlanders.com.
All-Time Series
Saturday will mark the third all-time meeting between the two teams. The all-time series is tied 1-1.
Last Time Out
Camil Azzam Ruiz and Eduardo Calvo-Salinas each scored a pair of goals for Iona in the Gaels 5-2 road victory at NJIT on Tuesday evening in non-conference men's soccer action at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium.
Iona's Azzam Ruiz combined for two goals and one assist for five points and Calvo-Salinas recorded two goals and two assists for six points in the victory. Lenworth Lopez scored a goal and added an assist for the Gaels.
For NJIT, Jose Escandon scored his second goal of the season and graduate student Rene White combined for his 44th career goal, which leads all active NCAA Division I leaders.
NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Career Active List
NJIT graduate students Rene White and Regsan Watkins are ranked the top three in goals and top three in points among NCAA Division I active career men's soccer leaders as of September 15.
White, from Bloomfield, NJ, ranks first in the NCAA in career goals (44) and points (95) while teammate Watkins, from Capetown, South Africa sits in second in goals (38) and points (91).
A 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America first-team honoree, White ranks third all-time in the record books in goals and fourth in points while holding the NJIT Division I record for total goals.
Watkins, the 2021 America East Conference Striker of the Year, ranks fourth all-time at NJIT in goals and fifth in points. The Highlander forward played two seasons at Bloomfield College prior to attending NJIT, tallying 22 goals.
Back to "New Normal"
After playing the 2020 campaign - its first season as a member of the America East Conference (joined the league on July 1, 2020 as the 10th full member institution) - during Spring 2021 and without fans, NJIT will have the chance to play a standard fall schedule in 2021 with fans back in attendance.
NJIT's 2021 schedule features a 17-match regular season slate, including 10 matches at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium, nine non-conference contests, eight America East Conference matches and three against NCAA Tournament participants. NJIT's fall spectator policy will allow fans to attend matches while wearing masks, regardless of vaccination status.
America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
NJIT, which played its first season in the America East Conference in the Spring 2021, made the programs first-ever appearance in the postseason tournament after sitting atop Pod C with a 4-2 conference record, earning the No. 3 seed. NJIT finished the season with a 4-5-1 overall record.
The Highlanders were selected to finish third according to the vote of the nine league coaches in the 2021 Fall Preseason Coaches Poll.
America East Stat Leaders
Goals
Rene White (1st) - 6
Regsan Watkins (8th) - 3
Points
Rene White (1st) - 13
Jose Escandon (4th) - 7
Regsan Watkins (5th) - 8
Assists
Tomas Jorge, Alejandro Rabell and Jose Escandon (T-5th) - 3
Scouting the Opponent
UMass Lowell will enter Saturday's match on a four-game skid, most recently dropping a 1-0 decision to Merrimack. The River Hawks lone win of the season was against Siena, a 1-0 overtime victory on August 30.
Three different River Hawk players have scored one goal on the season -- Reziq Banihani, Borna Miklic and Sancho Maroto Tobias.
UMass Lowell was selected fifth in the Preseason America East Coaches Poll, combining for 31 points. The River Hawks went 1-6-1, 1-4-1 in conference play in the Spring 2021.
Next Up
NJIT will conclude its three match homestand on September 21 when the Highlanders host La Salle at 7:30pm, which is part of a doubleheader with the NJIT women's volleyball team, who will host Seton Hall at 5pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center..
Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Men's soccer season by following @NJITSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Soccer page on Facebook.
