Rutgers Upsets No. 6 UC Santa Barbara
Sep 13 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sophomore Dilly Duka (Montville, N.J.) scored two goals and freshman Gaetano Panuccio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) added the game-winner as the Rutgers men's soccer team (3-1-1) rallied from an early deficit to hand No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (3-1-0) its first loss of the season on Friday night at Yurcak Field.
Despite the wet weather conditions, 1,112 fans braved steady rains to witness the Scarlet Knights put the first blemish on UC Santa Barbara's undefeated season. The Gauchos entered the contest 3-0 and was ranked nationally by several media outlets. The win was RU's first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 18 USF on Oct. 20, 2007.
"UC Santa Barbara is a great team," said head coach Bob Reasso. "[Chris] Pontius is very worthy of being a Hermann Trophy candidate. He was exceptional and they have good players all over the park."
"I'm proud of our guys," Reasso added. "This is a very young team and I think they grew up a lot tonight. It's a shame we had bad weather so we didn't have the crowd we should have, but I think these fans will be back to see this team play. I thought they were wonderful tonight."
The rain began several hours before the game and cast a relentless shower over the field throughout the match, creating a very slippery and unpredictable surface. With unsure footing, players were continually sliding across the soggy ground which affected either side's ability to get into a solid rhythm.
"Maybe the water helped us a little bit because it slowed their game down, but you still have to score goals and get down to business," said Reasso. "On the balance of play, I thought we were doing more passing than they were. They got their first goal because we didn't do a good job marking but after that, I thought we sorted everything out and we came out ahead."
UC Santa Barbara took a first-half lead on a goal by Alfonso Motagalvan in the 13th minute. The Gauchos maintained their lead into the intermission; however, Rutgers made a few adjustments during halftime and was able take over the play in the second half.
Three minutes into the second stanza, RU's halftime moves paid off as Duka evened the score at 1-1. Showing off his great ball handling ability and propensity to score goals, Duka dribbled past several defenders and delivered a shot from 20 yards out, past UCSB keeper Trond Helge Takset to tie the game.
"Once that goal went in, it lifted the team so much," said Reasso. "We evened things up and then it was down to heart. This is my 28th year at Rutgers and we've never had better chemistry. I've always had great guys and great teams all along but this is the best chemistry we've ever had."
UC Santa Barbara responded in the 68th minute with a goal from Danny Barrera to take a one-goal lead but it was short-lived as Duka again found the back of the net with the tying score in the 74th minute.
"Dilly was exceptional," said Reasso. "I thought there were two quality players out there tonight worthy of being Hermann Trophy candidates. Pontius was tremendous for them and if he's a Hermann Trophy candidate then Dilly certainly is too."
Rutgers was awarded a free kick from just outside the right side of the penalty area. Senior Kevin McFadden (Midlothian, Va.) stood over the offering but decided to lay it off to Duka who drove the shot low, through the wall and into goal as RU tied the game at 2-2.
"I've been working out extra, doing two-a-days with a few other players on the team and we knew we had to come into this game and be leaders," said Duka. "We're a young but we stepped up. We came together and won this game on all heart. This win is a huge confidence booster for us."
The Scarlet Knights continued to apply pressure on the Gauchos defense as RU controlled much of the possession in the second half and it was another set piece that helped provide the team with its game-winning score.
Sophomore Aly Mazhar (Cairo, Egypt) took a free kick outside the box and sent a line drive directly at the Gauchos' goalkeeper. Takset was able to get a hand on it and stop the initial shot from going in goal, but he was unable to corral the ball and maintain the tied game.
With the deflected shot lying just in front of the goal, Panuccio made a break for it and tapped home the first score of his young Scarlet Knight career.
"I was just there to finish the ball, my team made the goal happen," said Panuccio. "Aly [Mazhar] had a great strike, the goalie bobbled it and I was in the right spot to finish the ball. The goosebumps and butterflies I got were amazing. Anyway you win is exciting for me. I can't say enough about my team, we're brothers, we're a family and we fought for each other tonight. That's why we won the game. We played with heart and it's a great feeling to know that we can go out there and fight for each other."
Reasso was extremely pleased with the play of his young striker.
"Goal scoring instincts are not something you can coach," said Reasso. "You either have it or you don't. We didn't coach Gaetano to get in that position; he read the game and got himself in a position to finish. It's a credit to him, he's an outstanding young man and I thought he was tremendous tonight."
After ending its season-opening five-match homestand against UCSB, Rutgers will look to open BIG EAST action with a road game at Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 19. Reasso believes that the team's tough non-conference schedule has done well for preparing his squad for what lies ahead in a challenging conference slate.
"You can't find a better game than this to prepare for BIG EAST play," said Reasso. "I can't say enough about how well coached UCSB is and what a great team they are. We try to build the season up to a crescendo so that we have a tough matchup like this and then a week to prepare for the BIG EAST. You can't ask for a better sendoff that this."
