Rutgers Offense Overpowers Cleveland State
Oct 03 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's soccer team (6-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) defeated Cleveland State
(5-7-1), 6-1, to improve to .500 on the season. In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, Rutgers' offense dominated the Cleveland State team for the entire ninety minutes, as six different players scored the team's six goals.
Rutgers' offense came out strong from the beginning of the match and never let up. In the first half, RU had 17 shots to CSU's one and dominated control of the ball. The Scarlet Knights were able to convert three of those 17 first-half shots into goals, as Bart Koffeman (The Hague, Netherlands), Zach Simi (East Brunswick, N.J.), and Michael Crowley (Newark, De.) all scored. Simi's goal came just seconds after he had subbed into the game when he had a clear shot at the goal and fired the ball into the upper left corner of the net for his first goal of the season. For Koffeman and Crowley, it was their second goals of the season, and Crowley's second in as many games.
The second half proved to be no different from the first, as Rutgers put three more goals on the board as well as 15 additional shots. Adam Lloyd (Warwick, N.J.), Charlie Cox (N. Yorkshire, England), and Oliver Petersen (Arkley, England) scored the second half's three goals. For Lloyd and Petersen, it was their first goals of the season, and for Cox, his second as a Scarlet Knight.
The six goals by RU doubled their previous game-high of three, which came against DePaul on Sept. 24. The 32 shots were also a season high for the Scarlet Knights.
Cleveland State did manage to get on the board in the second half when Bryan Henson scored an unassisted goal in the 65th minute of play, his second goal of the season. Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Vikings could muster, as they finished the game with just eight shots. RU goalie Matt VanOekel (Chesapeake, Va.) finished the match with five saves, while his CSU counterparts Kasey Gray and Dan Duric combined for 14 saves.
Head Coach Bob Reasso was clearly happy with the number of goals his team scored, but more importantly was happy with the play he saw from his team.
"There's scoring goals," he said, "and there's scoring goals and playing well, and I thought we played exceptionally well tonight."
The Scarlet Knights will host BIG EAST rival St. John's on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 7:00 p.m.
Soccer Game Summary (Final)
2006 Rutgers Men's Soccer
Rutgers vs. Cleveland State (Oct. 3 at Piscataway, N.J.)
Rutgers (6-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) vs. Cleveland State (4-7-1)
Date: Oct. 3, 2006 Attendance: 375
Goals by Period: 1 2 Tot
CSU 0 1 1
Rutgers 3 3 6
Scoring Summary:
Shots: CSU -8, RU - 32.
Saves: CSU - 14, RU - 5.
Time Team Goal Assist(s)
19:44 RU Koffeman, Bart (2) unassisted
31:06 RU Simi, Zach (1) unassisted
36:05 RU Crowley, Michael (2) O'Connor, Kevin
59:06 RU Lloyd, Adam (1) Grato, Kyle
64:49 CSU Henson, Bryan unassisted
65:34 RU Cox, Charlie Sorrentino, Joey
75:54 RU Petersen, Oliver Cox, Charlie
