Koffeman Earns BIG EAST Honors
Oct 23 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -Rutgers' senior defender Bart Koffeman (The Hague, Netherlands) was named to the BIG EAST's weekly honor roll, the conference announced. The conference award was Koffeman's second of the season, as he was first named the BIG EAST's Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9.
Koffeman and the Scarlet Knights are coming off two critical BIG EAST victories, including a 3-1 win over Syracuse on Oct. 18. In the victory, RU goalie Matt VanOekel (Chesapeake, Va.) had to make just four saves due in large part to Koffeman's defensive effort against the Orange offense. Koffeman also netted one of the team's three goals in the win. The goal was Koffeman's team-high fourth of the season
On Oct. 21, Rutgers played Louisville to a scoreless tie at Yurcak Field in the team's final game of the regular season. Koffeman made two big defensive plays in overtime to keep the game scoreless. He first cleared a Louisville cross to end a scoring threat in the first overtime, then with just eight seconds left in the same overtime period, stripped the ball from Louisville's Frank Jonke to end a Cardinals' breakaway.
In the final 10 games of the regular season, RU's defense, anchored by Koffeman, allowed just five goals and did not give up more than two goals in a single game since the team dropped a 2-0 decision to Providence on Sept. 10.
After starting the season with a 1-5 record, Rutgers finished with a 9-6-1 record and earned a first-round bye in the BIG EAST tournament, which begins with first-round action on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Scarlet Knights will host the winner of Wednesday's first-round game between DePaul and Notre Dame in a quarterfinal match at Yurcak Field on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 5:00 p.m.
