Rutgers Tops Syracuse on Late Goal, 2-1
Oct 07 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sophomore Tomislav Barisic (Osijek, Croatia) scored his first collegiate goal in the 85th to help lead the Rutgers men's soccer team (4-6-1, 3-3-0 BIG EAST) past Syracuse (4-4-3, 1-4-0 BIG EAST) 2-1 on Sunday, Oct. 7, at Yurcak Field.
|
Tomislav Barisic scores the game-winner. Photo by Tom Ciszek/NJSportsPhoto |
Rutgers struck first on a goal in the 28th minute from senior Adam Sternberger (Mays Landing, N.J.) After a turnover at midfield, Sternberger gained control of the ball and led the charge against the Orange defense. Sternberger dribbled past a defender and blasted a shot from 30 yards out past goalkeeper Robert Cavicchia for his team-best third goal of the season.
Although the Scarlet Knights dominated possession for most of the game, out-shooting the Orange 20-9, including a 9-1 edge in the first half, it was Syracuse's lone shot in the opening period that nearly proved costly.
The Scarlet Knights did not hold onto their one-goal lead for very long as the Orange responded just 14 seconds later when Tom Perevegyencev lofted the team's only shot of the half over the head of senior goalkeeper Matt VanOekel (Chesapeake, Va.) to knot the game at 1-1.
"I can't believe we lost concentration," said Reasso. "Adam scores a great goal and then they come right back down and score on us. We need to be a little brighter in those situations. Having said that, we came out in the second half and controlled the game again. "
Rutgers continued to attack the Orange defense in the second half as the Scarlet Knights put together a string of terrific passes to notch the game-winning goal and seize an important victory in the BIG EAST Red Division.
In the 85th minute, senior Chris Moore (Gosforth, England), who played a big role in many of RU's shot opportunities, delivered a pin-point pass Sternberger in the penalty area. Sternberger then flicked the ball over to an unmarked Barisic in the left corner of the box where he gained control of the pass and struck it past Cavicchia for the game-winner.
The Scarlet Knights will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 10, for a non-conference match against NJIT at 7:00 p.m. at Yurcak Field. The contest will be a reunion for Reasso, who will go up against former Scarlet Knight standout Pedro Lopes, now the head coach at NJIT.
