Game 18	at Bryant (3-9-4, 0-4-3 AE)
Date | Time	Thursday, October 27 | 3:00 pm
Location | Arena	Smithfield, RI | Beirne Stadium
All-Time Series	BRY leads 2-1
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free) (XML)
Live Video	AE.tv

NEWARK, N.J. — NJIT Women's Soccer (4-7-6, 1-4-2 AE) closes out the regular season Thursday afternoon against America East newcomer Bryant (3-9-4, 0-4-3) with a conference tournament spot within reach.

LAST TIME OUT 
The Highlanders secured a 2-1 victory over defending tournament champion Vermont to keep their playoff hopes alive and send their combined 11 seniors and fifth years off with a win in their last home games at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. Freshman Riley Jones and senior Bailey Chant scored NJIT's two goals to secure the team's first America East win of the season at just the right time. 

NEWS AND NOTES TO KNOW
5: After earning the No. 3 seed and hosting the first-ever America East Tournament home game in NJIT history in 2021, the Highlanders were voted to finish tied for fifth in this year's Preseason Poll by the league's head coaches.

6: NJIT's draw against UAlbany on October 16 was NJIT's sixth of the season, extending its new school record for ties in a season. The previous record was three, done in 2005, 2012, 2016 and 2019.

11: Prior to the 2-1 win over UVM on October 23, NJIT's last 11 wins as a program were all shutouts: 

• 2/28/21 vs Wagner: 1-0
• 9/2/21 vs Wagner: 1-0
• 9/4/21 vs Saint Peter's: 6-0
• 9/26/21 vs Maine: 1-0*
• 9/30/21 vs Stony Brook: 1-0*
• 10/17/21 at UNH: 1-0*
• 10/24/21 vs UAlbany: 1-0 (OT)*
• 10/28/21 at Hartford: 1-0*
• 8/18/22 vs LIU: 4-0
• 9/11/22 at Saint Peter's: 2-0
• 10/7/22 vs Delaware State: 4-0

5: Within that shutout win streak, NJIT's first five wins in America East play were all shutouts (see asterisks above) before the UVM victory.

2: For the second year in a row, the Highlanders defeated the previous year's America East Tournament champion during the regular season. On September 30, 2021, NJIT beat two-time defending tourney champ Stony Brook, 1-0, on a header from alumna Yasmeen Malik.

3: NJIT players claimed the final three Rookie of the Week awards of the season: Briana Andreoli on October 10 and Riley Jones on October 17 & October 24. Jones' two honors mark the first time a Highlander has won multiple America East weekly awards in a season since Corbin Reifschneider earned Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors after a two-goal 2020 season debut against Drexel on February 21, 2021 (season played in Spring 2021). 

12: The number of America East weekly awards NJIT Women's Soccer has won all-time after Riley Jones repeated as Rookie of the Week on October 17 and 24. She joined sophomore Ciara Adams (August 22, Offensive POTW), redshirt senior Molly Saylor (August 29, Defensive POTW) and Briana Andreoli (October 10, Rookie of the Week) as award winners for 2022.

17: How many seconds it took for freshman Briana Andreoli to score her first career goal against Delaware State. Andreoli checked in at the 35:03 mark and headed home her goal at 35:20.

9: With her goal against UVM , Bailey Chant extended her program lead in career goals among active players. 

19: Saylor registered her 19th career solo shutout against Maine, extending her NJIT school record.

90: Freshman Riley Jones played the full 90 minutes against UVM, marking her seventh straight game of increased minutes (9 vs Hartford, 20 at Binghamton, 59 vs UMass Lowell, 84 vs Delaware State. 90 against UMBC, UAlbany and UVM) and her fourth straight start.

523:03: Time in minutes of NJIT's shutout streak in America East regular season action, starting from NJIT's match at UMBC last season (October 14) and ending with UNH's first goal on September 25.

21: The goal differential between NJIT (21) and Saint Peter's (0) in their last five contests - all NJIT shutout victories - under head coach Ally Nick.

330: The number of saves Saylor has made in her career, making her one of only three Highlanders - 2022 NJIT Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Sadie Mele (437) and Samantha Bersett (363) - that have eclipsed the 300 save plateau in NJIT history. Her total places her seventh in the NCAA in career saves among active players as of Saturday and her season tally of 77 is currently tied for ninth nationally.

9: The draw with Drexel kept the program's overall unbeaten streak at the time alive at nine games, dating back to last season's five-match run (3-0-2 to close the year). The nine-game stretch without a loss was the longest in program history.

605:32: The final length of NJIT's school record shutout streak that started with the final five games of 2021 and ended with St. John's first goal on August 21.

5: After Saylor's 14 saves against Drexel, she sits in the NJIT top-five for single game saves, behind Samantha Bersett (18 against Lipscomb on Oct. 24, 2015; 15 against Utah Valley on Oct. 5, 2012), Bruna Lotufo (15 vs IPFW on Aug. 31, 2006) and Ketsia Mesidor (15 vs Bridgeport on Sept. 17, 1997).

5: NJIT has scored multiple goals in five games this season (4-0-1 in those games) after only doing so one time in 19 contests in 2021.

12: NJIT's number of different goal scorers (Adams, Vito, Chamberlain, Ramos, Caminos, Watson, Caputo, O'Connor, Nogueira, Chant, Andreoli, R. Jones) in 17 games, surpassing 2021's total of 10, set over 19 contests.

44: The difference between the number of career games it took for Caminos (46) and Ramos (2) to net their first career goals against St. John's.

4: In the season opener, NJIT held LIU's offensive attack in check, only allowing the Sharks to register four total shots. The last time the Highlander defense conceded four shots or fewer in a victory was against Wagner on Sept. 2, 2021 (1-0 win, four shots allowed).

7: Head coach Ally Nick is in her seventh season as head coach of the Highlanders. Nick compiled a 42-46-11 (17-24-4 conference) record in six seasons prior to 2022, including three conference tournament appearances in six years (2018-19 ASUN, 2021 AE)

30: NJIT is running with a 30-woman roster consisting of: 21 returners from last season's America East quarterfinal team, eight freshmen and transfer Lily Bray.

3: Three returners from 2021 were honored by the America East last season: Redshirt senior Molly Saylor (Second Team All-AE, AE All-Academic), Fifth Year Siani Magruder (Second Team All-AE, AE All-Championship Team), and sophomore Caroline Caputo (AE All-Rookie Team)

This will also be NJIT's third season in the America East after the school joined the league in July 2020. However, it will be the Highlanders' first AE campaign after a proper offseason (2020 was played in Spring 2021 due to COVID and 2021 was played the following fall). 

7: This year's roster hails from seven different places (five states, two countries): New Jersey (16 players), Pennsylvania (5), Virginia (4), New York (2), North Carolina, New Zealand, and Portugal.

2: A pair of successful local coaches joined Coach Nick's staff for the 2022 campaign. Ariana Ruela (former head coach at Rutgers-Newark) and Graeham Gotrell (former Montclair State women's and men's soccer assistant coach) were hired this summer after the departures of longtime assistants Mary Hearin (Delaware) and Chris Duggan (Princeton)

60: Sixty percent of NJIT's offense from 2021 is back on the pitch this season. Bailey Chant is the Highlanders' leading returning scorer (3 G, 2 A) while six other players registered a goal last season (Angela Harris, Ciara Adams, Aleesha Deshmukh, Briana Ramirez, Emma Bitar, Taylor Pape).

2022 STATS LEADERS (AE RANK)
Goals: Bailey Chant - 3 (T-16th)
Assists: Aleesha Deshmukh - 3 (T-8th)
Points: Chant - 7
Shots: Ramos - 22
Saves: Molly Saylor - 81 (1st)
Saves/Game: Molly Saylor - 5.40 (1st)
Shutouts: Molly Saylor - 5 (3rd)
Shutouts/Game: Molly Saylor - .333 (T-3rd)
GAA: Saylor - 1.103 (3rd)

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
For the first time since 2010, first time as conference foes, and fourth time ever, NJIT and Bryant will face off in women's soccer. The road team has won each of the first three meetings - two in Newark and one in Smithfield, RI. In their last meeting on September 3, 2010, Bryant escaped with a 2-1 overtime win over NJIT. The Highlanders' lone win in the series came on September 20 2009 in a 3-2 victory in Smithfield - the program's fourth road win in its Division I era (began DI play in 2006). 

Despite picking up three points so far in its debut season in the America East, Bryant is also still in the running for a playoff berth. The Bulldogs have lost their last four straight, including three conference games. Bryant is led by Emma Pedolzky (3 G, 2 A), Makayla Griffin (2 G), and Kathryn McNeil (1113:43 mins, 63 saves, 1.70 GAA)

NEXT UP
Based on current standings, NJIT will advance to the America East playoffs as the No. 6 seed and travel to the eventual No. 3 seed on October 30 in one of the following two scenarios:

• NJIT WIN vs Bryant (8pts) AND UMBC DRAW OR LOSS vs BING (6 or 5pts); OR
• NJIT DRAW vs Bryant (6pts) AND UMBC LOSS vs BING (5pts)