With the win, the Scarlet Knights snapped their five-match slide and further broke a recent scoring drought. Prior to Sunday, RU was outscored 11-1 in its previous five games, including going scoreless in four, however the squad returned to form, scorching the Bearcats for three goals – the second-most scored in a game this season.

 

“That’s the kind of performance we‘ve been capable of all year long, we just haven’t found it,” said head coach Bob Reasso. “I thought the guys were great today from the first whistle. We passed the ball extremely well and also we’re a lot healthier. We’ve been waiting to get Gaetano [Panuccio] healthy all year and he’s finally healthy and I thought he played very well today. Robbie [McLarney] and David [MacVane] were also a little healthier today and played great.

 

“One of the big things we talked about all week long was trying to get Ibrahim [Kamara] and Yannick [Salmon] closer to each other so we could get some goals and it worked. I thought it was a nice performance all the way around. It’s also nice to get a shutout and I thought Alex Morgans played really well.”

 

Before Sunday’s match, Rutgers and Cincinnati were in a tie for the sixth and final playoff spot in the BIG EAST Red Division. The victory gave the Scarlet Knights three points in the standings and moved them into a tie for fifth with DePaul with 12 points.

 

“It’s a big three points for us,” said Reasso. “I am very proud of their effort tonight. We were pretty confident on what we needed to do and I thought the guys came out and gave a very professional performance. They did a great job.”

 

Rutgers and Cincinnati played to a scoreless first half, with the Scarlet Knights dominating much of the play, outshooting the Bearcats 13-4 in the opening period. The trend continued in the second half for RU which tallied 10 shots to UC’s four (23-8 shooting margin for the game).

 

Sophomore Robbie McLarney (Londonderry, N.H.) erased the 0-0 tie following the intermission, when he struck his first goal of the season three minutes into the second half in the 48th minute. McLarney put the Scarlet Knights ahead 1-0 with what served as the eventual game-winner as the midfielder settled an attempted clearance by the Bearcats and delivered a shot past UC goalkeeper Matt Williams.

 

Rutgers continued to apply the pressure, with a number of brilliant scoring opportunities throughout the game. Several Scarlet Knights enjoyed solid afternoons including senior Guilherme Dantas (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and sophomores Ibrahim Kamara (North Brunswick, N.J.) and Gaetano Panuccio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). Dantas led RU with five shots, while Kamara had four but the pair both put two shots on goal apiece as Williams was forced to make six saves.

 

Panuccio, who is coming off an injury this past offseason and has been limited in action this year, earned just his second start of the season – first since Oct. 7, and finally looked like the player he was in 2008 (two goals, one assist). The forward proved to be a force for the Scarlet Knights taking four shots, most of which were just inches wide of the goal, helping to keep the Bearcats on their heels.

 

“It took me a while [to get healthier],” said Panuccio. “I definitely had to do the fitness and the extra running but I’m just happy the team was supportive and kept me confident. It’s mainly the guys [on this team], they’re like my family and they really pushed me through every practice and now I’m finally able to play 90 minutes.”

 

Panuccio added, “Coming off fives losses in a row, this win is big time. It’s really going to get our momentum moving forward. It’s a great confidence booster.”

 

The Scarlet Knights put the game away with just under 20 minutes left in the contest when Salmon added a pair of insurance goals, helping propel RU to its 3-0 victory.

 

In the 72nd minute, Salmon scored his fifth goal of the year on an assist from Kamara. It was the first assist of Kamara’s collegiate career. From about 10 yards out Kamara held off a UC defender as Salmon streaked past.  The sophomore forward timed the pass perfectly as Salmon drilled the shot past the Cincinnati keeper for the 2-0 lead.

 

Rutgers got its next goal in the 81st minute off a set piece as sophomore David MacVane (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) sent a corner over to the far post to an unmarked Bryant Knibbs (Pine Bush, N.Y.). Knibbs then flicked the header across the face of the goal to Salmon who notched his team-best sixth tally of the year.

 

“It feels good, it always feels good [to win],” said Salmon. “It’s been a reoccurring theme all season; whenever certain people step up, we end up scoring goals. I thought Robbie McLarney, Dave MacVane, Chris Edwards and especially Gaetano Panuccio did really good today and if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have gotten those goals.

 

“[The win] is definitely going to help us a lot. We’ve been training really well; the team’s been in a good mood so a big win is only going to help us keep going.”

 

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Morgans (Jackson, N.J.) played solidly for the Scarlet Knights as he posted a pair of saves and picked up his first win of the season.

 

The Scarlet Knights will play their second of back-to-back home games on Wednesday, Oct 21, when it hosts non-conference foe NJIT at 7 p.m. Rutgers will then close out its BIG EAST regular-season schedule with three matches at Louisville and against Villanova and USF.