AMHERST, Mass. - The NJIT men's lacrosse team (0-1) plays its first road game of the season against UMass (2-1) on Saturday at noon at Garber Field. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
NJIT NEWS & NOTES
The Highlanders are coming off a 15-14 loss to St. John's in their season opener on Feb. 8.
 
JC Echezuria earned America East Rookie of the Week honors on Feb. 10 after recording five points (3 goals, 2 assists) against St. John's. His five-point performance is the most points by a Highlander in a collegiate debut in program history. Echezuria leads the America East in points per game.
 
Alystair Hemberger recorded the first hat trick of his collegiate career, scoring three goals against St. John's. Christopher Eiselein scored his first collegiate goal on the man-up opportunity. Benjamin Roberts added three points (1 goal, 2 assists), extending his point-scoring streak to 10 games.
 
Russell Maher and Ryan Sininsky each scored two goals against St. John's. Maher was selected as an Impact Transfer to Watch by Inside Lacrosse. Transfer Dylan Sebastian also recorded his first goal as a Highlander against the Red Storm.
 
Isaac Vanzomeren won 17-of-29 faceoffs (58.6%) and leads the America East with 11 ground balls per game. Cameron Kurdyla made eight saves in his collegiate debut.
 
SCOUTING UMASS
UMass enters the contest with a 2-1 record, earning home victories against Quinnipiac (19-5) and Dartmouth (11-7). Eight players combined for UMass' 11 goals against Dartmouth on Feb. 18.
 
Trace Hogan leads the Gorillas with 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) this season. Matthew Petitto leads the UMass defense with five caused turnovers. TJ Casey and Brendan Coyle combine for a 53.8% faceoff percentage.
 
UMass leads the all-time series 2-0, winning the most recent matchup, 19-7, on March 9, 2019.
 
NEXT UP
NJIT will host Drexel on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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