MEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Fifteenth-ranked Vermont (8-1-2, 2-0 AE) heads to Newark, N.J. for a matchup with America East foe NJIT (4-4-3, 1-0-1 AE) on Saturday afternoon at Lubetkin Field. The opening kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. ET, and will broadcast live on ESPN+. International fans can stream the game live on AmericaEast.TV.
 
RELATED LINKS
Watch: ESPN+ | AE.TV (Int'l)
Live Stats
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT enters Saturday's matchup tied for No. 2 in the America East standings, along with UMBC (1-0-1 AE). The Highlanders opened league play with a 4-1 win over UMass Lowell on Sept. 23, and tied Binghamton 1-1 on Sept. 30. NJIT is led by Maximus Barboto, who ranks No. 2 nationally in assists (8). The sophomore has 10 points through 11 games this season, along with Hugo Tavares who has a team-high four goals. Samuel Reisgys returns as NJIT's goalkeeper for his graduate student season, posting a 1.47 goals against average and .690 save percentage.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and NJIT have met five times in three seasons since the Highlanders joined America East. The Catamounts have earned victories in all five matches, including a pair of America East Semifinals wins in 2021 and 2022. UVM had a dominant 4-0 victory over NJIT at Virtue Field a season ago behind a pair of goals from Mujtaba Mirhasan. The Catamounts' lone trip to Newark in 2021 resulted in a 1-0 victory.
 
NCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Yaniv Bazini was named NCAA Division I Player of the Week by the United Soccer Coaches on Wednesday. The redshirt-junior scored game-winning goals in Vermont's victories over UMass Lowell (W, 2-0) and UConn (W, 2-0). Bazini leads the country with four game-winners this season.
 
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
First-year forward Sydney Wathuta was named America East Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday after scoring his first collegiate goal last week at UMass. The Calgary, Alberta native's goal was the game-tying tally for the Catamounts. Wathuta started in both games for Vermont who went 1-0-1 last week.
 
CATS IN THE RPI
Vermont was ranked No. 11 nationally in the second edition of the NCAA's RPI Rankings. The Catamounts are the top-ranked America East school, 21 spots ahead of Bryant (32). The conference as a whole is a ranked as the third-toughest league in the nation, behind the Pac-12 and ACC.
 
2-0 IN LEAGUE PLAY
The Catamounts are the only team in America East to begin league play with two wins. Vermont is one of three unbeaten teams, joined by NJIT (1-0-1) and UMBC (1-0-1).
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Vermont's defensive numbers are among the best in the country through 11 games. The Catamounts rank No. 4 nationally in save percentage (.868), No. 5 in goals against average (.455), and No. 9 in shutout percentage (.545).
 
OJACK NATIONALLY
UVM goalkeeper Owen Jack ranks in the nation's top five in four statistical categories. He ranks No. 2 in shutouts (6) and save percentage (.857), and is No. 5 in goals against average (.455) and
 
New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's soccer