Game 1	vs. Drexel (at JMU)
Date | Time	Thursday, August 25 | 4pm
Location | Field	Harrisonburg, VA | Sentara Park
All-Time Series	vs. Drexel (0-4-2); vs. JMU (0-1-0)
Live Stats	In-Game Statistics

   

NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT men's soccer team will officially kick off their 2022 campaign at the Fairfield Marriott Invitational hosted by James Madison.  The Highlanders will play a pair of matches in the Invitational, opening up against Drexel on Thursday, August 25 at 4pm and host James Madison on Sunday, August 28 at 3pm.

Game Information
The two NJIT matches will only have in-game statistics available on JMUSports.com.  There will be no live video available.

All-Time Series
NJIT vs. Drexel - Thursday will mark the seventh meeting between the two institutions with Drexel holding a 4-0-2 overall record against NJIT.  In the last meeting on October 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, the Dragons defeated the Highlanders, 2-1.

NJIT vs. JMU - Sunday will mark the second all-time meeting between NJIT and JMU.  Last season, JMU, who started off the 2021 season receiving votes from the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, ranked No. 20 in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 25 by CollegeSoccerNews, topped the Highlanders, 2-1.

NJIT Notes
NJIT's Fernando Barboto enters his seventh season at the helm of the Highlanders.  

In 2019, Barboto guided the NJIT men's soccer program in capturing the ASUN Tournament and Regular Season title.  The 2019 ASUN Conference Coach of the Year along with his coaching staff, who was named United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year,  led the Highlanders to the first NCAA appearance at the Division I level (first round; at Providence on November 21, 2019).

Under Barboto, the Highlanders have made postseason appearances in five-out-of-six seasons (2021, 2020 in AE; 2019, 2018, 2017 in the ASUN Tournament).

The 32-man roster consists of 18 returners from the America East semifinals team and 13 newcomers.

Sophomore Goncalo Franco is the lone Highlander returning for the 2022 season who earned 2021 America East All-Conference accolades (All-Rookie Team).

America East Conference
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). The Highlanders were selected to finish fifth in the 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll.

Scouting Drexel 
Drexel will open the 2022 campaign on Thursday vs. NJIT.  

The Dragons added 10 newcomers to a team with 16 returners from 2021.

Two Dragons – Daniel Nesseler and Youri Senden were both selected Preseason All-Conference and saw the Dragons finish fifth in the CAA Preseason Coaches poll.

Drexel posted an 8-8-1 record last season and earned a berth to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament for the second consecutive year.

Scouting James Madison 
Host James Madison will open up the season against Binghamton on Thursday evening.

Luca Erhardt and Rodrigo Robles were both named to the Preseason Sun Belt team as the Dukes were picked tied for fifth in the Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Dukes incoming recruiting class ranked as high as 35th in the country by TopDrawerSoccer which featured eight newcomers.

Defender Melker Anshelm was selected to the Preseason Best XI Third team, TopSoccerDrawer announced.  He was named the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and found his name on the MAC Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List a season ago.

James Madison posted an 11-5-1 record last season

Next Up
NJIT, which will begin its first seven matches on the road, will visit first-time opponent UConn from the Big East on Friday, September 2.