2009 Season Review
Nov 16 | Men's Soccer
The 2009 season saw the Rutgers men’s soccer team take another step in the right direction for the program’s rebuilding process. The Scarlet Knights played yet another challenging regular season schedule, culminating in a bid to the 2009 BIG EAST Championship.
“We took another step forward this year,” said head coach Bob Reasso. “We were still a young team, we played a very difficult schedule and I think we had incredible highs and lows throughout the season.
“We played a number of teams ranked in the top 25 and we beat some very good teams, particularly in the last three game set when we beat [No. 9] South Florida, beat West Virginia away and a close loss to St. John’s. Injuries did play a part in it and as the season went on we got thinner towards the end but injuries always play a part. The guys grew up a lot this year and we have a great nucleus returning. I think we can take that next step forward next year and compete for a BIG EAST Championship and get ourselves back into the NCAA Tournament. I’m extremely proud of this group, they worked very hard and I think all that hard work will start coming into fruition for them next year.”
After missing the conference tournament in the previous two seasons, RU enjoyed a run past the first round and into the quarterfinals. The always rough and tumble BIG EAST Conference schedule provided several obstacles for the Scarlet Knights to overcome and the group answered mightily, securing the sixth seed in the Red Division with a resounding win over Cincinnati. RU shutout UC and posted three goals on the Bearcats en route to a 3-0 win while claiming all the points it needed in the league standings for its 12th appearance in the postseason tournament.
Rutgers’ first round opponent West Virginia was the third seed in the Blue Division and boasted one of the toughest squads defensively in the conference. At the time of their matchup, the Mountaineers ranked in the top three of the BIG EAST in goals allowed (second, 10), goals-against-average (third, 0.54) and shutouts (third, 10). WVU’s starting goalkeeper Zach Johnson was ninth nationally and second in the conference with a 0.54 goal against average. He was also third in the BIG EAST with 10 shutouts.
The Scarlet Knights responded to the challenge early, scoring in the first five minutes of the contest on a goal from the team’s leading scorer Ibrahim Kamara. It was his career-best fourth game-winning goal and gave Rutgers the cushion it needed to move on to the quarterfinals. Freshman Dan Parr also recorded a tally in the match, which was his second goal in as many games after scoring his first collegiate goal against USF in the regular-season finale.
In its 10th quarterfinals match all-time, the Scarlet Knights were faced with another challenging opponent in division rival St. John’s. It was RU’s fifth meeting against the Red Storm in the conference tournament and 22nd matchup all-time in a storied rivalry. St. John’s, ranked 18th in the country (NSCAA) at the time of the match, was on a 10-game unbeaten streak, closing out the season 5-0-5 after a 2-2-3 start. The Red Storm were also 16-0-4 in its previous 20 games at home.
Despite a strong effort from the Scarlet Knights, a number of injuries during the season caught up to the squad as a dwindling lineup was unable to match St. John’s performance. The two teams played to a scoreless first half; however, the Red Storm broke the deadlock in the second half with three goals, ending RU’s bid for a BIG EAST Championship with the 3-0 loss. Parr, who was on a hot streak having scored a goal in each of the previous two games, was taken off just minutes into the second half against St. John’s. The concussion he suffered compounded Rutgers’ injury issues as it lost a hold of midfield play, leading to the Red Storm’s scoring output.
The 2009 Rutgers men’s soccer squad, under the direction of 29th-year head coach Bob Reasso, was quickly tested during the regular-season. The Scarlet Knights took on eight teams that appeared in the national rankings at one point during the season, including five programs that advanced to the 2008 NCAA Men’s College Cup.
Rutgers kicked off the year with an exciting win on the road at Towson. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Tigers 4-3, received goals from three different players and assists from four individuals. The balance offense was a harbinger of things to come for the season with seven Scarlet Knights combining for the team’s 21 goals, while 11 different players recorded one of the 19 assists.
RU traded wins and losses in its next three matches, falling to Pac-10 power Stanford 2-0, followed by a 1-0 home win against Saint Peter’s before traveling west to UC Santa Barbara where the sixth-ranked Gauchos defeated the Scarlet Knights 4-0.
Upon returning from its west coast trip, the Scarlet Knights opened BIG EAST action and did so in thrilling fashion, going 3-0 with wins over Providence, Connecticut and Seton Hall. It was the best start to conference play for Rutgers since the 1998 season when it also began the BIG EAST campaign 3-0. RU defeated the Friars, Huskies and Pirates by identical scores of 2-1.
Guiding the Scarlet Knights in their standout weekend was junior Yannick Salmon. A defender his previous two seasons, Salmon moved into an offensive role this year and it paid dividends for RU. Salmon scored the game winner against Providence and provided both goals in Rutgers’ win over Connecticut. For his efforts, Salmon was recognized by four separate outlets, being named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, NSCAA Player of the Week, College Soccer News National Player of the Week and ECAC Player of the Week.
The excitement of a 3-0 start to conference play was offset by the unfortunate loss of the team’s starting goalkeeper Jake Grinkevich. The freshman won the spot during preseason camp and played brightly in the first six matches, however, he was lost for the remainder of the season with a leg injury in the first half against Connecticut. The loss dealt a major blow to the Scarlet Knights who continued to search for his replacement during the rest of the season.
Although Rutgers enjoyed success going 5-2 in its first seven games, winning on the road proved to be one of the toughest tasks for the Scarlet Knights all season long. RU finished the year 3-7 on the road, including a five-match losing streak from Sept. 27 to Oct. 13. The squad dropped matches at Georgetown, Syracuse, St. John’s, DePaul and No. 19 Brown.
The Scarlet Knights returned home and rebounded with a resounding victory over Cincinnati, defeating the Bearcats 3-0. Sophomore Robbie McLarney scored his first goal of the season while Salmon struck twice with his career-best fifth and sixth goals of the year. RU won its next match, topping NJIT 2-1 on goals from Kamara and sophomore Sam Archer.
Rutgers lost its next two matches, at No. 8 Louisville 2-0 and against Villanova 3-0, but closed out the home schedule the way it started as the Scarlet Knights earned an upset over No. 9 USF in their regular-season finale. Parr scored his first collegiate goal on his first-ever shot attempt to take a 1-0 lead. After the Bulls found the equalizer, junior Andrew Cuevas delivered the game-winner on an assist from sophomore Bryant Knibbs. It was Cuevas’ first game-winner and Knibbs’ team-leading fourth assist.
The win helped the Scarlet Knights complete the regular season with a 6-3 record at Yurcak Field and gave them momentum heading into the BIG EAST Championship.
Rutgers Athletics Launches the Athletic Excellence Fund
Monday, October 06
R Fund, Knights of the Raritan are YouKnighted | Million Dollar Match
Friday, February 28
Rutgers x Nike Apparel Partnership
Thursday, December 19
Rutgers Athletics 2023-24 Year in Review
Friday, July 12
