Game 2	at JMU (1-0; 11-5-1 in 2021)
Date | Time	Sunday, August 28 | 3pm
Location | Field	Harrisonburg, VA | Sentara Park
All-Time Series	vs. JMU (0-1-0)
Live Stats	In-Game Statistics

NEWARK, NJ--The NJIT men's soccer team will conclude the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational on Sunday, August 28 when the Highlanders face host James Madison.  Kickoff is slated for 3pm.

Game Information
In-game statistics available on JMUSports.com.  There will be no live video available.

All-Time Series
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.

Last Time Out
The NJIT men's soccer team kicked off its 2022 campaign with a 2-2 draw against Drexel at the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational hosted by James Madison Thursday afternoon at Sentara Park.

The Highlanders held a pair of one-goal advantages but saw the Dragons respond twice in the second half to secure one point each.

Given the new rules governing overtime in the regular season, the game ended in a draw after 90 minutes and left both teams with a hard-fought point.

Graduate student Jose Del Valle scored his first goal in a Highlander uniform into the upper right corner of the frame, assisted by Justin Aguirre-Rosas.  Del Valle, a transfer student from Northwestern, scored his fifth career goal (at Northwestern: 4 goals).  Del Valle will pursue his masters in Management in September 2022 at NJIT.  Aguirre-Rosas tallied his second career assist in his young career.

NJIT regained the lead, 2-1, on an unassisted goal by sophomore Asembo Augo.  Augo started his second career match and netted his second career goal (first collegiate goal at Vermont in the 2021 America East semifinals match).

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).

2022 Captains
NJIT head men's soccer coach Fernando Barboto has announced senior goalkeeper Samuel Reisgys and Franco, NJIT's midfielder, as team captains to lead the Highlanders in the 2022 season.

Reisgys was named to the 2021 America East All-Academic team, starting every match (18) but one while Franco was selected to the America East All-Rookie team, netting a pair of goals in his first season at NJIT.

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 James Madison
Host James Madison picked up a 3-1 victory against America East Conference opponent Binghamton in the 2022 season opener.  After going down early, James Madison scored three straight goals to take down Binghamton.  Freshman Cameron Arnold, redshirt sophomore Josiah Blanton and redshirt senior Tyler Clegg all scored for the Dukes, while freshman Sebastian Conlon earned his first career win with five saves in goal.

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 play its first seven matches on the road, will visit first-time opponent UConn from the Big East on Friday, September 2.