MSOC Meets Ohio State in B1G Semifinals on Friday
Nov 11 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's soccer team travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on host and top seed, Ohio State, on Friday at 1 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The game will air live on BTN with Dean Linke and Chris Doran on the call.
| Game Eighteen - Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 4 Rutgers (12-5-1, 4-4-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 Ohio State (12-5-2, 5-2-1 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 13 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium |
| TV | BTN (Dean Linke and Chris Doran) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Ohio State |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Ohio State |
| Big Ten Tournament News | Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket |
TOURNAMENT TIME
The Rutgers men's soccer team will meet top seed Ohio State on Friday at 1 p.m. in the Big Ten semifinals. The Scarlet Knights advanced to their first Big Ten semifinal appearance following a 2-0 victory over fifth-seeded Northwestern last Saturday.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 13 (semifinals) - Columbus, Ohio
No. 4 Rutgers at No. 1 Ohio State , 1 p.m., BTN
No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Maryland, 3:30 p.m., BTN
IN THE WIN COLUMN
RU's 12 wins in 2015 are the most by the program since the 2001 season. Back in 2001, the Scarlet Knights finished at 15-7-3 overall and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
SHUTOUT SUCCESS
The Scarlet Knights earned their eighth shutout of the 2015 campaign last Saturday in the 2-0 victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. It is the most shutouts for the program since the 1998 season.
David Greczek has logged all eight shutouts in 2015 and currently has 15.5 career shutouts. He needs five more clean sheets to crack RU's top five in the category.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes enter the semifinal round with a 12-5-2 overall mark and captured a 5-2-1 conference record to capture the 2015 Big Ten Regular Season title.
After opening the season at 1-5-2 overall, Ohio State proceeded to claim victories in 11 of its next 12 matches. The only blemish in OSU's last 12 contests was a 1-0 loss to Rutgers at Yurcak Field back on Oct. 25.
Prior to falling in Piscataway, the Buckeyes had won eight-straight matches and gone unbeaten in 10 consecutive contests.
Ohio State sports a 9-1-1 record at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with its last loss coming in its second game of the season with a 1-0 loss to Binghamton on Aug. 30.
First Team All-Big Ten selection Kyle Culbertson leads the Buckeyes with 17 points (6G, 5A) and netted the game-winning goal in overtime against Penn State in OSU's quarterfinal game with ninth seeded Penn State last weekend. Danny Jensen, a Second Team All-Big Ten pick, is the Buckeye's second leading scorer with 13 points (4G, 5A) and is followed by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Liam Doyle with 10 points (2G, 6A).
In goal, Ohio State boasts Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, Chris Froschauer, who has collected 66 saves and allowed only 15 goals. He is holding down a .815 save percentage and 0.76 goals against average. Of his 15 goals allowed, Froschauer has only given up four goals at home.
LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE
The Rutgers men's soccer team took over first place in the Big Ten standings and won its sixth-straight game with a 1-0 victory over No. 18 Ohio State on Oct. 25 at Yurcak Field.
Leading scorer Jason Wright scored the game-winner in the 74th minute of action taking a rebound off a saved shot by Miles Hackett into the back of the Buckeye net. The Scarlet Knight defense, meanwhile, earned its second straight and sixth shutout of the season.
Ohio State had an eight-game win and 10-game unbeaten streak halted with its first loss since Sept. 11.
Rutgers played a throw-in from the far side of the field where junior midfielder Erik Sa found Wright at the top of the 18. With one tap, Wright got the ball to Hackett surging into the box for an attempt from six-yards out to the right post. Ohio State keeper Chris Froschauer made the deflection, but the ball bounced to his left leaving Wright a wide open look on goal.
Goalkeeper David Greczek made five saves in the victory, giving the junior Scarlet Knight his 13th career shutout. Froschauer made eight stops in the loss.
Rutgers ended the afternoon outshooting the Buckeyes, 16-15, and holding a 7-5 edge in corners.
REACHING THE SEMIFINALS
Senior midfielder and Second Team All-Big Ten honoree Mitchell Taintor scored both goals in RU's 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Northwestern last Saturday.
Taintor put away his first goal of the afternoon in the game's 23rd minute. Fellow senior Mitch Lurie served a free kick to the far side of the box where it was punched out by Northwestern keeper Zak Allen. Taintor, however, quickly took control of the loose ball to find the back of the Wildcat net.
The RU senior midfielder then added an insurance tally on his fifth goal of the season in the 85th minute of action. From along the right sideline, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Jason Wright sent a pass to the opposite side, to the top of the 18, to sophomore midfielder Brandon Tetro. Tetro slid the ball to his left to an oncoming Taintor, who fired away from six yards out at the left post into the opposite corner.
The Northwestern offense generated 12 shots, including six on frame stopped by netminder David Greczek.
B1G HONORS
Sophomore forward Jason Wright was a unanimous selection as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, head coach Dan Donigan was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year and a total of six Scarlet Knights earned postseason honors from the league it was announced last Friday on the eve of the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament.
Wright was also a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection, while three other Scarlet Knights were named Second Team All-Big Ten -- senior midfielder Mitchell Taintor, senior defender Mitch Lurie and junior goalkeeper David Greczek. Rookie midfielder Brian Hawkins was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and senior defender Drew Morgan was Rutgers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
SEVEN IN-A-ROW
The Scarlet Knights had its seven-game win streak snapped on Nov. 4 in a 3-1 loss at Maryland in the regular season finale. During the streak, RU outscored the opposition, 16-4, with goals from seven different Scarlet Knights, and outshot its opponents, 105-77. It was the longest win streak since 1997, when the Scarlet Knights rattled off nine consecutive victories. That season, Rutgers went 14-7-2 overall and won the BIG EAST title.
AWAY FROM HOME
The Scarlet Knights had a five-game road win streak snapped as well in the setback to the Terps. It was only the second loss away from the friendly confines of Yurcak Field this season. The five-straight road contests victories started with a 4-1 upset at then-No. 22 Indiana back on Sept. 20. It was the most consecutive road wins for the Scarlet Knights since the 1993 season.
B1G STATS
Entering the weekend, Jason Wright is the league leader in points (30) and goals (13) and game-winners (5).
Miles Hackett checks in fourth in points (17) and goals (7), while JP Correa is tied for second in game-winning goals (3) and tied for 10th in points (13). Mitchell Taintor, following his two-goal performance in the Big Ten quarterfinals, is now tied for ninth in the conference in points (14) and goals (5).
Mitch Lurie is tied for third in assists with his team-leading six, while Correa and Erik Sa are both tied for sixth in assists (5).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appears in the top 10 in two national categories which include ranking eighth in both points per game (6.44) and total assists (38). The Scarlet Knights also check in 11th nationally in assists per game (2.11), 12th in total points (116) and 13th in total goals (39).
Individually, Jason Wright ranks sixth in total goals (13), seventh in total points (30), eighth in game-winning goals (5) and ninth in goals per game (0.72) among all Division I players.
NEWS AROUND THE NET
Goalkeeper David Greczek is currently fourth all-time at Rutgers in saves. The junior has made 257 stops since stepping foot "On The Banks".
Among all active Division I goalkeepers, Greczek ranked 10th in career saves (257) and sixth in saves per game (4.67).
VS. THE TOP 25
Rutgers defeated its third ranked opponent of the season in the 1-0 victory over then-No. 18 Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights defeated then-No. 22 (NSCAA) Indiana, 4-1, on Sept. 20 and earned a 1-0 victory at No. 25 (CSN) Michigan on Oct. 10.
THE SET UP
Senior Mitch Lurie, junior Erik Sa and senior JP Correa lead the Scarlet Knights in helpers this season.
Lurie has had back-to-back games with assists coming off free kick opportunities. He also picked up points with serve on corner kick goals against Northwestern in the regular season, as well as Penn and Loyola.
Sa tied his season-high in assists in the first game of the 2015 season with two helpers against Siena in the season opener and also had another two assist game in the 5-2 win over Yale on Oct. 6. He also one of six Scarlet Knights with an assist in RU's 8-0 blanking of Loyola on Sept. 29. Sa captured two assists in his first season "On The Banks" coming against No. 5 Akron and on the game-winner against No. 7 Louisville in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals. Last season, he registered his two assists against Penn and Ohio State.
Correa meanwhile has recorded 13 career assists and needs one more to have the most assists "On The Banks" since 2006.
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