NCAA FIRST ROUND: MSOC Hosts LIU Brooklyn
Nov 18 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's soccer team makes its 17th NCAA appearance on Thursday against LIU Brooklyn in first round action. The winner of Thursday's matchup will meet fourth seed Akron in Ohio on Sunday.
| Game Twenty - NCAA First Round: No. 23 Rutgers (12-6-1, 4-4-0 Big Ten) vs. LIU Brooklyn (11-5-4, 7-0-0 NEC) | |
| Date | Thursday, Nov. 19 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J. | Yurcak Field |
| Video | BTN Plus (video only, no audio) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | LIU Brooklyn |
| Statistics | Rutgers | LIU Brooklyn |
| Tickets: | $7 adult | $5 child (under 12) | $1 Students with ID (First 100 Rutgers Students Free) |
| NCAA Tournament News | Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket |
NCAA TOURNAMENT TIME
The Scarlet Knights earned an at-large bid to the 48-team tournament after recording a 12-6-1 overall record, a Big Ten Tournament semifinals appearance and tying for third place in the Big Ten regular season standings.
Among Rutgers' highlights during the season were Top 25 wins on the road against then No. 22 (NSCAA) Indiana (Sept. 20 - W, 4-1) and in overtime at then-No. 25 (CSN) Michigan (Oct. 10 - W, 1-0). Additionally, the Scarlet Knights edged out Big Ten runner-up, Ohio State, 1-0, during the regular season to claim first place in the Big Ten standings in the second-to-last week of the regular season.
The Scarlet Knights boasted a seven-game win streak during the regular season - RU's longest win-streak since the 1997 season - and collected eight shutouts - their most since the 1998 campaign. Additionally, Rutgers' 12 victories are the most by the squad in 14 seasons.
ABOUT LIU BROOKLYN
The Scarlet Knights will be facing the 2015 Northeast Conference regular season and tournament champions in LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds come to Yurcak Field for the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 11-5-4 overall record and having posted a perfect 7-0-0 mark in NEC play. The 11 wins are the most for the program since the 2002 season.
NEC Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen leads the Blackbirds with 18 points (7G, 4A). He is followed on the stat sheet by NEC All-Rookie member Romario Guscott with 12 points (6G), while both Naeem Charles and First Team All-NEC honoree Simen Hestnes have racked up 10 points (3G, 4A) apiece.
In goal, NEC Tournament MVP Logan Keys has posted a 0.40 goals against average and .896 save percentage in his 12 appearances. He has posted seven shutouts while making 43 saves and allowing just five goals. In the NEC Championship game with St. Francis (PA), Keys made a pair of crucial saves in the shootout to clinch the title for the Blackbirds, sending LIU Brooklyn to the Big Dance for the first time since the 2004 season.
COACHES OF THE YEAR
On the sidelines for Thursday's matchup are the Coaches of the Year for their respective conferences.
Rutgers' Dan Donigan was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Scarlet Knights, who a year ago finished in eighth place and were picked eighth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, were battling for the Big Ten regular season title up until the final game of the regular season.Donigan earned his fourth conference Coach of the Year honor having been named Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007 and Conference-USA Coach of the Year in 2001 prior to arriving "On The Banks".
LIU Brooklyn's TJ Kostecky was voted NEC Coach of the Year after guiding the Blackbirds to the third perfect record (7-0) in league play. It was his first NEC Coach of the Year Award and third in his career after helping the team to claim its first NEC regular season crown since winning a share of the title in 2004.
RU IN THE NCAA'S
As a program, Rutgers has made 17 NCAA appearances, including three Final Four matches and the 1990 National Championship game.RU is 15-13-2 all-time in NCAA games and 8-6-1 in first round matchups.
The Scarlet Knights last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, reaching the third round of play. That season, Rutgers finished second in the Big East Red Division and advanced to the Big East Tournament semifinals. They entered NCAA play with a 9-5-3 overall record overall and 6-1-2 mark in BIG EAST competition.
During the 2011 campaign, RU posted the best turnaround in BIG EAST competition since the league expanded to 16 teams in 2005. The Scarlet Knights had posted just one BIG EAST win in 2010 and four wins total.
The Scarlet Knights advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before their run was stopped by No. 5 UCLA, 3-0. RU previously upended fourth-seeded and eighth-ranked Boston College in penalty kicks on the road for its first second round win since 2001 and defeated Colgate at home, 4-2, in the first round.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
Redshirt senior midfielder JP Correa is the lone Scarlet Knight remaining from RU's NCAA run in 2011.
Correa buried the game-winner in RU's 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.Correa, in his freshman season in 2011, appeared in and started all 20 games and tied for the team high with six goals and tallied a team-best five assists.
During his freshman season, Correa was named to the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team and was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-Northeast Region selection.
Current assistant coach Bryant Knibbs was a senior on the Scarlet Knight squad in 2011. Knibbs captured an assist on the game-tying goal in the second round contest with Boston College, with Rutgers ultimately advancing to the third round on penalty kicks. He also had one of RU's four goals in the 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.
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.
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 on Nov. 6 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.
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Rutgers made its second Big Ten Tournament appearance in 2015 reaching the quarterfinals.
The Scarlet Knights, seeded fourth, opened up the 2015 tournament with a 2-0 victory over fifth seeded Northwestern. Second Team All-Big Ten honoree and senior co-captain Mitchell Taintor netted both goals in the victory over the Wildcats.
RU's tournament run ended with a 4-0 setback to top-seed and semifinal host Ohio State.
Last year, the Scarlet Knights were the No. 8 seed and defeated No. 9 Wisconsin, 5-2, in the play-in game before their tournament run was halted by top-seed and eventual Big Ten Champion, Maryland, 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
HOME SWEET HOME
RU has gone 6-3-0 at Yurcak Field this season, winning four-straight at home following a 2-0 victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Nov. 8.It is the longest home win streak since the 2011 and 2012 seasons when the Scarlet Knights won nine straight.
Rutgers ended the 2011 campaign with four straight wins at Yurcak Field which continued with five straight home wins in 2012.
To date, the Scarlet Knights have outscored their opponents, 22-10, and outshot the opposition, 163-87, at home.
SHUTOUT SUCCESS
The Scarlet Knights earned their eighth shutout of the 2015 campaign on Nov. 8 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.
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.
B1G STATS
Entering the NCAA Tournament, 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). Mitch Taintor, following his two-goal performance in the Big Ten quarterfinals, is tied for 10th in the conference in points (14) and ninth in goals (5).
Mitch Lurie is tied for third in assists with his team-leading six, while Correa and Erik Sa are both tied for eighth in assists (5).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appears in the top 15 in five national categories which include ranking ninth in total assists (38). The Scarlet Knights also rank 11th in assists per game (2.00) and points per game (6.11), as well as 13th in total points (116) and 15th in scoring offense (2.05).
Individually, Jason Wright ranks seventh in total goals (13), eighth in game-winning goals (5), 13th in total points (30) and 15th in goals per game (0.68) 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 261 stops since stepping foot "On The Banks".
Among all active Division I goalkeepers, Greczek ranked 10th in career saves (261) and eighth in saves per game (4.66).
The junior netminder has eight shutouts this season - Monmouth, Loyola, Michigan, Penn, Army West Point, Ohio State, Omaha and Northwestern - and has recorded 15.5 shutouts in his career. His eight clean sheets this season are the most since Jon Conway's eight shutouts in 1998.
Greczek has registered 22 career games making five or more stops in his career and five contests with eight or more saves.
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