Game 3	NJIT (1-0-1; 6-12-1 in 2021) at UConn (1-1-0; 7-7-2 in 2021)
Date | Time	Friday, September 2 | 7pm
Location | Field	Storrs, CT | Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at Rizza Performance Center.
All-Time Series	First Meeting
Live Video	FloSports ($$)
Live Stats	In-Game Statistics

NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT men's soccer team will travel to first-time opponent UConn on Friday, September 2 for a 7pm kickoff under the lights at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at Rizza Performance Center.

Game Information
The match will be streamed live on FloSports ($$) with in-game statistics available for free on UConnHuskies.com.

All-Time Series
Friday's match will mark the first time the two teams will meet.

Last Time Out
The NJIT men's soccer team registered its first win of the 2022 season on a second half goal by sophomore Asembo Augo as visiting NJIT defeated host James Madison, 1-0, to conclude the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational Sunday afternoon.

NJIT (1-0-1), which remains undefeated in 2022, opened the season with a 2-2 draw against Drexel on Thursday in the opening match of the Invitational after goals by Jose Del Valle and Augo and registered its first win of the season with a 1-0 win over James Madison.

America East Rookie of the Week
Freshman Maximus Barboto capped off a successful opening weekend for the NJIT men's soccer team by being named America East Conference Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

Barboto, who joined the Highlanders in January 2022, recorded his first collegiate assist of his young career in the 51st minute off a free kick in NJIT's 1-0 win over James Madison and also helped the Highlanders earn a 2-2 draw with Drexel at the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational.

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 UConn
UConn enters into Friday's match with a 1-1-0 mark after coming off the Huskies first win of the 2022 season, a 2-0 victory over Holy Cross, in front of a sell out crowd (5,212) at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at Rizza Performance Center.  

UConn scored a goal in each half from Moussa Wade, his first of the season and Frantz Pierrot, a graduate transfer from Merrimack College, scored his first goal in a UConn uniform and 18th of his career.  Jayden Hibbert recorded the shutout, making one stop against Holy Cross.

The Huskies are led by first-year head coach Christopher Gbandi '01 who won the 2000 Hermann Trophy and led the Huskies to their third NCAA National Championship.  Gbandi returns to UConn following a six-year stint as head men's soccer coach at Northeastern.

Sophomore Mateo Leveque, who led the Huskies in points last season with three goals and six assists was named to the Big East Preseason All-Conference team. Leveque is the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year.

UConn has been selected to finish eighth in the Big East as voted by the league's coaches. The Huskies return eight of their eleven point contributors from last season. 

Next Up
NJIT will continue its season-opening seven match road swing on Tuesday, September 6 when the Highlanders visit Iona in New Rochelle, NY.  Kickoff is slated for 1pm.