Pablo Ponce will make the transition from standout player to coach, having anchored the defense of the 2005 NJIT men's soccer team as a central back.

The native of La Paz, Bolivia, made another smooth transition just a year earlier, transferring to NJIT from Rutgers, where he had played three seasons in four years with the Scarlet Knights. Competing for the Highlanders as a graduate student, he was a key figure in the team's reduction of its goal against total to 30 from 62 in 2004. He was Atlantic Soccer Conference Player of the Week on September 12, 2005 and was the Highlanders team Most Valuable Player.