10/18/2026
NJIT Highlanders Women's Soccer (America East Conference) @ Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium (Newark, NJ)
(Women's) College soccer across the street from my alma mater
James Calingo
Tags:College Soccer, College Sports, First Visit, Football, NJIT, New Jersey, New in 2026, Outdoor Sports, Soccer, Women's Sports
2026: New Venue #31
The New Jersey Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as NJIT) was founded in 1880 and is, as the name might suggest, known for its various programs revolving around different kinds of engineering. Having gone to college across the street from it, I'm somewhat familiar with it as I would occasionally visit for various reasons and would often walk through campus in the mornings (as it's adjacent to a local subway station that's at the top of a hill as opposed to the bottom of it1). Back in the day, it had a BIT of a reputation for having a bit of a male-heavy student body, but I remember hearing that female enrollment was increasing significantly around the time I was in school (plus, of course, this post is detailing a WOMEN'S event).
As far as sports at NJIT goes...it's a bit of a mixed bag (it is a smaller technical school after all). The men's basketball team kinda sorta has the longest losing streak in NCAA D-I history (but not officially - it's weird), and there was a bit of a situation earlier this year where the track and field team's Instagram attracted attention for very INTERNET reasons2. Of course, those aren't super relevant to today's topic: the school's women's soccer team - which has existed since 1996 and has only been to five conference tournaments all time (this information comes from their record book as the team doesn't have a Wikipedia page).
Lubetkin Field (in its current state) opened in 2019 - two years after the adjacent fitness center (which hosts the basketball team among other things3). Both are part of good ol' "college renovations that open AFTER you graduate", so they didn't exist when I was in college (I believe construction started around the time I graduated). I couldn't find much information on where the team played prior to the current stadium opening, but I WANT to say it was, in essence, the "prior" state of Lubetkin Field (i.e. how it was before the new athletics center was built).
The "stadium" itself isn't really all that much: a singular set of stands on one side of the field. There are a couple of rows of chairback seats somewhat randomly, but other than that it's all metal bleachers. What is nice, however, is that there is access to the fitness center which is behind the stands, as it's where the stadium's amenities are.
Under a LOT of circumstances, an NJIT soccer game doesn't seem like something I'd really want to do: it's in an area of Newark that is a bit difficult to get to, most games are at night, and parking is a bit of an odd/awkward situation. However, thanks to this game being on a Sunday at 2 PM (read: no parking rules plus daylight), I decided to make the trek over to see the women's version of a matchup I've been interested in: NJIT vs. the University of Vermont. I had the men's edition of this particular matchup circled on my calendar for a visit last year (because, of course, Vermont Green4), but wasn't able to go (partially as it involved several of the factors I just mentioned).
Alas, I feel like there's not much to be said about the game - it was one of those "both teams have several opportunities, but neither can capitalize and the game ends 0-0" deals. However, I did learn that NCAA women's college soccer has VAR/replay reviews, as a potential penalty was looked at late in the game (but was not awarded - hence the 0-0).
One final thing to note: there was a basketball "exhibition game" immediately before the soccer game (which I wasn't able to attend due to other commitments), but I did get to see the inside of the arena (as that's where the concession stand was for this game). I won't go over the arena right now (as it's NOT the focus of this post and a visit early next year MIGHT happen), but the thing I found most interesting about it: the "concourse" is a legitimate running track (with designated lanes!).
MERCH
The fitness center has a full-on team store near the entrance to the basketball arena. It's not that big, but it is a bit interesting to me that it's there. Unfortunately (for me at least), despite several jerseys being on display inside the store, no jerseys were available for sale - though interestingly, they had World Cup balls (NJIT being an Adidas school). I DID consider getting a scarf (as this was a soccer game and it was a bit chilly), but ultimately decided against it.
As an aside, I've been contemplating the future of these "merch" sections - but I'll talk about that later.
Footnotes
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That's right: Newark has its own subway! Rutgers Newark and NJIT both have, in essence, their own stops, but since I would often use it to get to the upper parts of campus in the mornings, it was WAY easier for me to go down from NJIT than up from the Rutgers Newark station. ↩
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I won't give any more context than this, but let's just say...I expect next year's photos to be edited a bit differently (if the track and field poster I saw inside the fitness center is any indication). ↩
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I don't know if I'd ever watch NCAA swimming and diving, but I did see the university's pool which I believe it uses for swimming events from the outside, as it had a video screen on one wall and a spectator area (though it was closed). ↩
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Vermont Green's women's team just played their first full season in USL W (a women's soccer league similar to USL 2), and they ALMOST won it all. Next year, they're getting a new rival: Maine Wildness - a USL W "sister club" to Portland Hearts of Pine. ↩