NEWARK, N.J. --- NJIT Men's Lacrosse will complete the 2022 season on Friday, April 29 against the UMBC Retrievers.

LAST TIME OUT
NJIT ended its home schedule and honored its graduating seniors with an inspiring effort against UAlbany but the Highlanders were eventually defeated by the Great Danes, 16-6, on April 22.

NJIT (0-12, 0-5 AE) countered UAlbany's 3-1 first quarter with a 4-2 stretch of its own that saw the Highlanders go into halftime only down one (4-3) and eventually tie the contest at 5-5 with 10:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, the Highlanders found themselves on the opposite side of a 6-0 run by the Great Danes (5-7, 3-3 AE) to close the third and another 5-1 surge to finish off the game.

Gavyn Willson continued his impressive run of all-around production this season, continuing his streak of multi-point games with three on Friday (2 G, 1 A). Despite missing three games to injury, Willson has recorded 2+ points all nine games he has appeared in this season. Owen Corry matched Willson with three points, scoring once and assisting on two others. Corry has played in all 12 games this year and has recorded at least one point in all but one.

Gage Adams added to his outstanding debut season totals with a pair of goals Friday - his fourth multi-goal effort of the campaign and his tenth game of 12 with at least one score. Completing the offensive output was Arthur Miller (1 G, 1 A) and Keegan Ford (1 A)

Liam Brown stopped eight shots on the night - he has posted at least that many in all but two contests - and was one of four Highlanders with a team-best three ground balls (Isaac Vanzomeren, Myles Hickey, Lynch Raby). The Highlanders caused eight UAlbany turnovers, with Matthew Bowerman and Raby (two each) accounting for half of them.

EVERYDAY IMPACT
Gavyn Willson has been the most consistent Highlander on the offensive side this season. Willson has recorded multiple points in all nine matchups he has played in - the only NJIT player to do so (15 G, 11 A). The only other Highlanders approaching that level of consistency are Gage Adams (points in 10-of-12 games, multi points in 8-of-12) and Owen Corry (at least one point in 10-of-12  games).

ROOKIE STANDOUT
Adams' early season efforts earned him the first America East Rookie of the Week honor of 2022 on February 14. The Kirkland, WA native totaled seven points (4 G, 3 A) in the Highlanders' matchups at No. 16/19 Delaware (2 G, 2 A) and vs. No. 15 Lehigh (2 G, 1 A).

Adams' seven points were tied for the league lead with UMass Lowell's Colin Foley and his four goals shared the conference benchmark with Foley and Highlander teammate Arthur Miller.

The honor is the second weekly award NJIT has received since joining the America East. Teammate Owen Corry earned the first - Offensive Player of the Week - last season after leading the Highlanders to their first-ever league win at UMass Lowell.

THE BALL STOPS HERE
Liam Brown continues to rank near the top of the America East stats sheets for goalkeepers. Brown currently ranks fifth in save percentage (.502), second in saves per game (11.69) and total saves (152), and fifth in goals against average (14.80). He also owns the top saves performance in the league (21 at Marist, Apr 12) and two of the top three (20 vs Lehigh, Feb. 12).

FACEOFF TAKEOFF
Billy Kroeger's 20 faceoff wins against Delaware tied former Highlander Tyler Stevenson's school record for faceoff wins in a single game. Stevenson set the mark by going 20-26 at Lafayette on February 9, 2019. NJIT's 21 total faceoff wins (21-29) marked the first time the Highlanders corralled at least 20 faceoffs since the 2020 season opener against Hampton (2/1/2020; 20-33).

PUSHING THROUGH
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, NJIT will look to complete a 13-game slate in its eighth year as a program and its second season as a member of the America East conference. The Highlanders will play five home games in its third season at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium and travel for eight games.

DURING THE 2021-22 OFFSEASON

• Max Wilson was drafted 12th overall in the 2021 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Draft by the Halifax Thunderbirds.
• Eric Sherman was named an America East Winter Presidential Scholar Athlete as a student-athlete with a GPA of 3.75 or better.
• Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan was added to the Board of Directors of the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA).
• Head Coach Travis Johnson made changes to his coaching staff, elevating Blase Mantineo to lead assistant coach and hiring Cade Siddron to round out the staff.

2022 STATS LEADERS
Points: Gavyn Willson (26)
Goals: Willson (15)
Assists: Willson (11)
Ground Balls: Billy Kroeger (34)
Man-Up Goals: Willson (4)
Faceoff %: Kroeger (.535 | 77-144)
Shots: Owen Corry (93)
SOG: Corry (44 | .473)
Caused Turnovers: Lynch Raby (13)

TOP RETURNERS (2021 TOTALS)
Goals: Owen Corry (19)
Assists: Collin Fogerty (11)
Points: Fogerty (26)
Ground Balls: Isaac Vanzomeren (43)
Man-Up Goals: Jack Bowie (4)
Faceoff %: Vanzomeren (.466 | 90-193)
Shots: Corry (79)
SOG: Fogerty (38 | .481)
Caused Turnovers: Lynch Raby (17)

THROUGH THE GAUNTLET
The Highlanders will once again take on a highly competitive schedule with the goal of preparing for the rigors of the America East season. Like 2021, NJIT's schedule includes five teams that at least received votes in the Preseason Inside Lacrosse or USILA/Dynamic poll:

• Delaware: No. 16 IL / No. 19 USILA
• Lehigh: No. 14/10
• Army West Point: No. 10/13
• Vermont: No. 17/15
• UAlbany: RV/RV

WORKING OUR WAY UP
NJIT was voted to finish sixth in the seven-team America East Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll. With the conference's decision regarding Stony Brook's championship eligibility due to its pending departure for the CAA, the Highlanders will look to find their way into the top four of the remaining six teams eligible for the America East tournament and make a league tournament for the first time in program history.

2022 SCHEDULE NOTES
13 games scheduled - seven non-conference, six America East
First home game: February 12 vs Lehigh
First road game: February 5 at Delaware
First AE game (road): March 19 at Vermont
First AE home game: March 26 vs UMass Lowell
First time opponent: February 19 at Harvard
Senior Day: April 22 vs UAlbany
America East Playoffs: March 5-7
Longest Road Trip: February 19 - March 5 (Harvard, Army West Point, Wagner
Longest Home Stand: March 26 - April 2 (UMass Lowell, Binghamton)

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UMBC has won two of its last three games - a pair of wins over UAlbany (April 9) and UMass Lowell (April 16) and a loss in their most recent matchup against Stony Brook. The Retrievers are led by Mike Doughty (15 G, 15 A), Brian Tregoning (15 G, 8 A), Zach Dudley (51 GB, 116-228 FO), and Tommy Lingner (10.21 GAA, 110 saves, .519 save percentage).