“It’s an interesting draw,” said Reasso. “When you look at the BIG EAST standings, there are three or four teams that have separated themselves. Louisville, USF, Connecticut are some of the top teams and everyone else is packed in tightly. A lot of the teams are very evenly matched and as we told the guys, ‘we’ve beaten two of the top teams in Connecticut and South Florida.’

 

“We played a very difficult [regular-season] schedule, particularly on the road but you play that kind of schedule to get ready to play a game like this [against West Virginia] on the road.”

 

Rutgers (8-9-0, 5-6-0 BIG EAST) and West Virginia (7-4-6, 6-3-2 BIG EAST) have met 19 times in program history dating back to 1990 with the Scarlet Knights holding a 12-3-4 all-time advantage, including a 7-2-3 mark since 1995 when both squads continued the series as BIG EAST Conference members. The two teams’ most recent matchup was in 2008 which ended in a 0-0 tie.

 

In the BIG EAST Championship, the Scarlet Knights are 0-1-1 against the Mountaineers with West Virginia earning a 1-0 result in overtime during the 2005 season and advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks in 2006 after the match ended in a scoreless draw.

 

The Scarlet Knights closed out the regular season this past Saturday, upsetting No. 9/6 USF in their home finale at Yurcak Field. Rutgers took a one-score lead on a goal from freshman Dan Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.). The Bulls tallied the equalizer 35 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1, however, RU posted the game-winner in the second overtime period on a header from junior Andrew Cuevas (Wayne, N.J.) to earn the 2-1 victory.

 

Rutgers has 19 goals and 18 assists on the season with junior Yannick Salmon (Westbury, N.Y.) and sophomore Ibrahim Kamara (North Brunswick, N.J.) paving the way with six goals apiece. Cuevas and sophomore Nate Bourdeau (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) each have two goals, while three other Scarlet Knights combine for the remaining three tallies on the year.

 

Sophomore Bryant Knibbs (Pine Bush, N.Y.) has the team lead with four assists followed by Kamara, Bourdeau, and fellow sophomores David MacVane (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Nye Winslow (Piscataway, N.J.) each with two. Six other Scarlet Knights have one assist on the season to round out RU’s total.

 

Rutgers and West Virginia have played nine common opponents in 2009 with the Scarlet Knights going 5-4-0 in those contests, while the Mountaineers were 4-4-1.

 

The Mountaineers boast a strong defensive unit behind the efforts of junior goalkeeper Zach Johnson. West Virginia is ranked in the top three of the BIG EAST in goals allowed (second, 10), goals-against-average (third, 0.54) and shutouts (third, 10). Johnson is ninth nationally, second in the conference with a 0.54 goal against average. He is also third in the BIG EAST with 10 shutouts.

 

Despite scoring just 13 goals on the season, the Mountaineers have allowed only 10 to their opponents. Alex Silva has the team lead with three goals, while Uwem Etuk, Abel Sebele and Moeryhan Doue each have two goals apiece. Sebele has a team-best five assists and Travis Pittman is second with three assists.

 

“West Virginia has the added pressure that they are hosting the semifinal and championship. We’ve done that [in the past] and there’s no doubt that, especially in the first game, there is more internal pressure on the guys because they want to make sure that they’re home, in that semifinal or final.

 

“Our guys have come through a very difficult season with a very competitive schedule but they’re feeling good about themselves and I think they’re very excited to play. I’m expecting them to have a very good performance. It’s a very competitive league and it will come down to who brings the energy, the intensity and passion. The players are very much looking forward to it and so is the staff.”

 

The winner of the first-round matchup will advance to a quarterfinal meeting with No. 2 seed St. John’s on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Queens, N.Y. The semifinal and championship games will be held on Friday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 15, respectively, at Dick Dlesk Stadium on the campus of West Virginia.