No. 22 Men’s Soccer Hosts Wednesday Afternoon Makeup Game vs. NJIT

Wednesday, October 26

Jacksonville, Fla.

1:00 PM

University of North Florida

NJIT

No. 22 Men’s Soccer Hosts Wednesday Afternoon Makeup Game vs. NJIT

10/25/2016 5:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Scott Fitzgerald | Athletic Communications

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida (8-3-1, 4-0 ASUN) will play its final regular season home game on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. against NJIT (7-5-3, 3-2 ASUN), a makeup from the Oct. 8^th contest cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. A win or tie will clinch at least share of the Ospreys' second-straight ASUN Regular Championship and home field advantage throughout the 2016 ASUN Postseason.

Promotions: FREE ADMISSION! All fans will get into the game for no charge.

Game Details
Date	Wednesday, Oct. 26
Time	1:00 p.m.
Location	Jacksonville, Fla. (Hodges Stadium)
Opponent	NJIT
Coverage	ASUNTV \| Live Stats

Match Notes
Playoff Implications: A win at Stetson on Saturday sealed the Ospreys' fourth-straight postseason berth under Head Coach Derek Marinatos. Now the Ospreys have their sights set on seeding. A win against NJIT guarantees home-field advantage, clinches a first round bye and at least a share of the ASUN Regular Season Championship. A win or draw also solidifies a top four seed.

Clutch Rosales: Senior Andrey Rosales was once again the hero on Saturday night. His goal a little under four minutes into the first overtime secured a 3-2 victory over Stetson. It marked the second time in three games he's tallied the game-winner in extra time.

What a Week: In two games last week, freshman Adrian Nunez totaled seven points (3g, 1a) in a pair of Osprey victories. He scored the first two goals in a comeback win over No. 11 FGCU and later assisted on the game-winning score. On Saturday night he scored his fourth goal of the season when he converted a penalty kick in the 24^th minute. He was named the ASUN Player of the Week and also became the first Osprey in program history to be named the NSCAA National Player of the Week.

Drought ended: The win on Saturday night was the first ever for North Florida in DeLand and the third win in the last four meetings with Stetson. After allowing the first two goals of the game, Stetson scored two second half goals in a 10-minute span to tie the game and force overtime.

Recap | Box Score

Home Dominance: The Ospreys are 4-0-1 this season at Hodges Stadium and are unbeaten in their last 12 games at home. The last loss to an ASUN opponent at Hodges Stadium was on Oct. 18, 2014 in a 1-0 setback against Lipscomb. In the past two seasons, the Ospreys are 8-1-1 at home against ASUN opponents.

The National Scene: North Florida garnered its first ever national ranking coming in at No. 22 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Poll. In Monday's NCAA RPI, the Ospreys soared up 22 spots all the way up to No. 24, the highest ranking in program history.

Nationals Statistics: The Ospreys are averaging two goals per game, the 13^th best scoring offense in the country. Goalkeeper Juanes Fajardo's 0.61 goals against average is the 15^th lowest in the country.

Freshman First: First year forward Glenn Johnson scored his first collegiate goal in the 36^th minute against Stetson. He became the ninth different Osprey to score this season.

Welcome to the ASUN: Wednesday's meeting between NJIT and North Florida will be the first as members of the ASUN Conference. The two schools squared off only once prior in 2014 when the Highlanders were part of the 2014 Mike Gibbs Tournament field. The Ospreys emerged with a 3-1 victory and eventually the tournament championship.

About NJIT: With a playoff berth already clinched, Wednesday will be the final chance for NJIT to add to its season point total. Currently NJIT is in a three-way tie for second place with nine points and can guarantee a home playoff game with a win or draw. So far this season the Highlanders have recorded ASUN victories over Jacksonville, Stetson and USC Upstate. The duo of Mamadou Guirassy and Rene White have combined for 12 of the 19 NJIT goals. Goalkeeper Victor Pujades has started all but one game this season and is second the league with 49 saves.