NEWARK, NJ--NJIT men's soccer will conclude its two-game road trip at defending America East Champions and the No. 6 team in the nation, New Hampshire, on October 1 at Wildcat Stadium with kickoff slated for 7pm.
Game Information
Kickoff is set for 7pm at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of New Hampshire. The match will be streamed live on America East TV with in-game statistics available on www.NJITHighlanders.com.
All-Time Series
This will be the first meeting between the programs.
Last Time Out for NJIT
UAlbany scored a goal in each half, defeating visiting NJIT, 2-1, in America East Conference men's soccer action at Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium Saturday afternoon.
NJIT scored the equalizer in the 11th minute on a left-footed blast by Tomas Jorge. On Jorge's 30-yard blast, a Great Dane defender deflected the ball into the net, altering the change of direction of the ball but not the momentum of the shot. The goal for Jorge was his first of the season.
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 30.
White, from Bloomfield, NJ, ranks first in the NCAA in career goals (45) and second in points (98) while teammate Watkins, from Capetown, South Africa sits in second in goals (38) and tied for third in points (91) with Rhode Island's Patrick Agyemang.
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.
2021 National Rankings
NJIT's White ranks tied for sixth in the nation in total goals with seven. His 16 total points ranks tied for 11th.
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.
Scouting the Opponent
New Hampshire, ranked No. 6 nationally, will enter Friday's contest with a perfect 10-0-0 overall record and 2-0-0 in the America East.
The Wildcats are just one of four teams around the country with a perfect record, joining No. 1 Georgetown (7-0-0), No. 2 Washington (7-0-0) and No. 7 Tulsa (7-0-0).
New Hampshire currently has recorded six shutouts and have outscored the opposition this season, 23-4, which ranks seventh in the nation with a 0.400 team goals against average.
The Wildcats are 16-0-2 over the last 18 regular season games and have won 14 straight. The last regular season loss was a 1-0 loss to UAlbany on November 1, 2019.
Junior goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat is 10-0-0 this season with five shutouts and only four goals against. His five shutouts rank sixth in the nation and his 0.417 goals against average is ninth in the nation.
Classmate Tola Showunmi's seven goals this season ranks sixth in the nation. He leads the Wildcats with seven goals and 15 points.
Last Time Out for New Hampshire
Senior Tola Showunmi, graduate student Jacob Gould and graduate student Paul Mayer all netted a goal as the No. 6 nationally-ranked University of New Hampshire men's soccer defeated Harvard, 3-1, on Tuesday night at Wildcat Stadium. Graduate student Johann von Knebel tallied two assists for two points.
MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
Graduate student Bridger Hansen of the No. 20 nationally-ranked University of New Hampshire men's soccer program has been named one of 44 student-athletes on the 2021 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as announced by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club.
Last season, Hansen was one of 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy which is awarded annually to the nation's top male and female college soccer players. This was the second straight season and the second time in program history that the Wildcats had a player named a semifinalist for the prestigious award as Josh Bauer was a semifinalist in the 2019 season.
America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
New Hampshire men's soccer team has been selected first in the America East Preseason Poll. The voting was conducted by the conference's nine head coaches.
The Wildcats were picked unanimously to win the championship for the fourth straight season as UNH received eight first-place votes and 64 total points, while Vermont posted one first-place vote and 57 points. UNH defeated the Catamounts last season in the America East championship game, 2-0.
Last season, New Hampshire went 8-1-1 overall as the Wildcats posted the best winning percentage in program history and won their third straight America East Championship, advancing to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Next Up
NJIT will have another stretch of three home matches in the month of October, welcoming Loyola (MD) on October 5, Vermont on October 9 and Stony Brook on October 13.
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.
