Skip To Main Content

New Jersey Institute of Technology Athletics

Scoreboard

New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders
Sponsored by:
MLAX Gameday 2-21-24

Men's Lacrosse Hosts Monmouth Wednesday With 4-0 Start On The Line

2/21/2024 12:46:00 AM

Game 4 | Home Game 2  vs Monmouth (1-1)
Date | Time Wednesday, February 21 | 7:00 pm
Location | Arena Newark, N.J. | Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium 
Live Video ESPN+ | AmericaEast.tv International Feed
Live Stats In-Game Statistics
All-Time Series Monmouth leads 7-1
NJIT Info 2024 Stats
Opponent Info 2024 Stats 

NEWARK, N.J. — The NJIT men's lacrosse team - currently undefeated at 3-0 - will look to keep their perfect start to 2024 alive as the Highlanders kick off a two-game home week on Wednesday evening against in-state rival Monmouth.

LAST TIME OUT
NJIT improved to 3-0 for the first time in program history with a 11-7 road victory over the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers on February 18.

Jesse Roth recorded his second hat trick in as many games to lead the NJIT attack. Arthur Miller and Garrett Muscatella each added two goals while Beck Gozdenovich, Jack Bowie, Billy Kroeger, and Josh Failla scored one apiece. Owen Corry was the only Highlander with multiple assists (2) while Bowie, Ryan Sininsky, Myles Hickey and Teddy Grimley assisted on a goal each.

Miller also led the team with five ground balls on the day.

Billy Kroeger went 15-23 from the faceoff X while being one of three Highlanders with four ground balls.  Hank Bethel and Sullivan O'Brien recorded four of NJIT's ten caused turnovers (two each). Liam Brown posted his third double digit save effort of the season, stopping 11 shots

TEN GOALS DOWN
After scoring twice against Mount St. Mary's, Arthur Miller became the first Highlander - and player in the America East - to reach double digits in goals on the year with ten.

FIRST TIME(S) FOR EVERYTHING
Each of NJIT's first three wins - at St. John's, vs Siena, at Mount St. Mary's - were the Highlanders' first all-time against each opponent.

FINDING SEPARATION
The four-goal win over Mount St. Mary's (11-7) was NJIT's first by more than two goals since March 27, 2021, when the Highlanders defeated UMass Lowell on the road, 14-10.

AWARDS SEASON
NJIT has already racked up a number of awards, recognizing the efforts of the players in creating this historic start to the year. Since the season opener, NJIT has earned the following accolades:
  • Garrett Muscatella - America East Offensive Player of the Week (February 12)
  • Hank Bethel - USILA Team of the Week (February 6)
  • Liam Brown - USILA Team of the Week (February 6)
  • Liam Brown - America East Defensive Player of the Week (February 5)
  • Arthur Miller - America East Offensive Player of the Week (February 5)
CAREER DAYS OUT THE GATE
Muscatella's five-goal effort against Siena surpassed his previous high of four goals from last season against UAlbany on April 15, 2023. He has increased his career best in single-game goals each year - 2 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 4 in 2023 and now 5 in 2024.

Muscatella also matched Arthur Miller for the team high after Miller's career-high five goal output from the opener at St. John's. Including his three goals against Siena, Miller now have four career games with at least three goals. Miller's five-goal performance was also the first five-goal outing by a Highlander since Owen Corry's five goal showing at UMass Lowell on March 27, 2021 - and now the Highlanders have two in back-to-back weeks.

As of February 21, Muscatella and Miller are the only America East players with five goals in a game this season.

STEADY AS ALWAYS
Liam Brown's play continues to be a constant area of strength for the Highlanders. Brown became the NJIT all-time leader in saves after making 17 against Siena and ending the day with 587, surpassing former Highlander Nick Marzullo's 579 from 2015-18. Brown has also made double digit saves in his last 16 games dating back to last season.

Entering Wednesday, Brown has made 598 saves, two shy of being the fourth active Division I player with at least 600 career saves. 

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
In just his second game as a Highlander after starting his career at Bellarmine, Jesse Roth (3 G, 2 A vs Siena) recorded his first multi-game game since his penultimate contest at Bellarmine on May 2, 2023 against Mercer (2 G) and his first hat trick game since April 22, 2023 (Bellarmine at Detroit Mercy). Roth followed up that game with another hat trick in the win against Mount St. Mary's, giving him two hat tricks in three career NJIT games after netting four across 39 games and four seasons at Bellarmine. 

SHOOTOUTS WELCOME
The 31 combined goals in the Siena game (16-15) are tied for the second-most in an NJIT win. The Highlanders' 26-9 win at Hampton (Apr. 6, 2019) holds the combined (35) and NJIT single game records, while the 24-7 win over Hampton (Feb. 1, 2020) is second with today's combined performance.

EXTRA LAX IS GOOD
After outlasting Siena, NJIT is now 2-2 all-time in overtime games after winning their last two over the last two seasons (2023 season finale at UMass Lowell on Apr. 29 and Saturday).

KEEPING IT GOING
Dating back to that UMass Lowell victory in 2023, NJIT has now won four straight games as a program for the first time ever.

(RE)WRITING TEN SEASONS OF HISTORY
The Siena win was NJIT's 13th in program history:
  1. Feb. 18, 2024: 11-7 at Mount St. Mary's
  2. Feb. 10, 2024: 16-15 (OT) vs Siena %
  3. Feb. 3, 2024: 10-8 at St. John's 
  4. Apr. 29, 2023: 11-10 (OT) at UMass Lowell %
  5. Mar. 11, 2023: 14-13 vs Lindenwood %
  6. Mar. 4, 2023: 10-8 vs Wagner %
  7. Mar. 27, 2021: 14-10 at UMass Lowell
  8. Feb. 1. 2020: 24-7 vs Hampton
  9. Apr. 6, 2019: 26-9 at Hampton 
  10. Mar. 5, 2019: 8-5 vs Monmouth 
  11. Apr. 14, 2018: 15-8 vs Hampton
  12. Apr. 15, 2017: 17-3 at Hampton 
  13. Mar. 22, 2016: 10-7 at Dartmouth 
WINS BREAKDOWN
  • 6 at home, 7 on the road
  • 2 overtime wins
  • Before MSM, last 5 wins had been within two goals
  • 4 wins after trailing after 3 qts (%)
  • Average GS-GA in wins: 14.31 - 8.46
2024 STATS LEADERS 
TOP RETURNERS (2023 TOTALS) AMERICA EAST RANKINGS (AS OF 2/21/24) 2024 SCHEDULE
This season will be made up of a 14-game slate: eight home and six road games; seven non-conference and seven America East league matchups.

NJIT will open play on the road on Saturday, February 3 against St. John's, marking the first time the Highlanders have faced off against a member of the Big East since hosting Georgetown on April 20, 2019. 

The 2024 home opener for the Highlanders will come the following week (February 10) against Siena. Another road matchup at Mount St. Mary's on February 17 will precede NJIT's lone two-game week at home - a Wednesday night meeting against Monmouth on February 21 and a Saturday matinee against Manhattan on February 24.

March begins with the first of NJIT's final two non-conference games, a road trip to Staten Island to face Wagner on March 2. The non-conference finale will pit NJIT against Lindenwood on March 9. NJIT won a last second thriller against the Lions in their first-ever meeting last season. 

NJIT opens America East play away from Newark with a trip to last year's regular season champion Vermont on March 16. The Highlanders will welcome Binghamton to Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium for the conference home opener the next week (March 23) before another road contest against defending tournament champion Bryant on March 30.

The final two-game homestand for the Highlanders will see them take on Merrimack (April 6) and UAlbany (April 13). NJIT will close out the regular season at UMBC on April 20 and at home against UMass Lowell on April 27. 

NJIT will be looking for its first-ever America East tournament berth in 2024. The four-team playoff will take place on the campus of the No. 1 seed on May 2 and May 4.

AE PRESEASON POLL
In this year's America East Preseason Poll, the Highlanders were slated by the league's coaches to finish tied for sixth with Merrimack - an improvement from being chosen last in the 2023 poll. Bryant, last year's tournament champion, was voted as the regular season favorite.

1. Bryant 47 (5)
2. Vermont 39 (1)
3. UAlbany 38 (2)
4. Binghamton 33
5. UMBC 28
T6. NJIT 16
T6. Merrimack 16
8. UMass Lowell 7

2023 HIGHLIGHTS SCOUTING THE OPPONENT | STATS
Monmouth has split their two matchups so far in 2024, defeating LIU at home by four goals (14-10) before falling to Princeton in Central Jersey (15-5). Notables for the Hawks this season:
  • Grad defender Michael Quigg was named Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention
  • Grad goalkeeper Tommy Heller earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors after their win over LIU (16 saves, .615 save pct, three ground balls
  • Heller also made a Monmouth record 18 saves in the loss to Princeton.

NEXT UP
NJIT will finish the week at home against Manhattan on Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m.

 
Print Friendly Version