BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team will head over the river to Hillside, N.J. Tuesday afternoon, for the team's final non-conference game this season. The Blackbirds will face off against the New Jersey Institute of Technology, in a game slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
LIU is coming off of two wins at home over the last two weekends. Most recently, the Blackbirds beat La Salle, 2-1, to improve to 4-3-1 overall and remain undefeated at home. Senior Christoffer Bjarre Solbakken had the game winning goal for LIU in the 65th minute, when he headed the ball in off of Giuseppe Barone's corner kick. Freshman Michael Gianino also had a goal for the Blackbirds in the win.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT may prove to be one of the toughest teams in the region for LIU, and will be looking to snap a two game losing streak . Sitting at 5-3, the Highlanders have beaten three different NEC teams, and an additional common opponent. NJIT opened the season with wins over Sacred Heart (1-0), Rider (1-0) and SFU (3-2 OT). In the last two weeks, they've beaten St. Francis Brooklyn (1-0), and suffered losses at the hands of GW and FGCU.

Over the last three seasons, the two teams have had close games, each determined by just one goal. The Blackbirds had wins in 2015 and 2016, 1-0 and 2-1, but NJIT took the most recent win last season, 1-0.

Redshirt sophomore Rene White is the team's offensive heart. He's scored six of the team's nine goals this season, a total that ranked him in the top ten in the nation last week, and second in the ASUN conference. Junior keeper Victor Pujades has played every minute in goal for the Highlanders, with three shutouts so far this season, a 0.99 goals against average, and a .778 saves percentage. '

UP NEXT
The Blackbirds reignite a local rivalry to kick off the Northeast Conference season. LIU will take on defending NEC championship St. Francis Brooklyn, Sunday, September 30 at 1 p.m. in Brooklyn Bridge Park.