Men's Soccer Homestand Begins on Friday With Michigan
Oct 05 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N .J. - The Rutgers men's soccer team begins a four-game homestand on Friday night with Michigan at 7 p.m. The first 250 fans will receive a free Rutgers soccer scarf.
| Game Ten: Michigan (2-6-3, 1-4-0 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Friday, Oct. 7 |
| Time | 7 p.m. EST |
| Location | Yurcak Field | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Video (Talent) | BTN Plus ($) (Jared Smith and Kristian Dyer) |
| Radio (Talent) | WRSU - 88.7 FM (Sean Griffin and Jon Spilletti) |
| Live Stats | |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Michigan |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Michigan |
| Tickets | Purchase Here |
| Promotions | - Rutgers Soccer Scarf Giveaway (250) |
HOMESTAND BEGINS
The Scarlet Knights are back home to begin a four-game homestand kicking off with Michigan on Friday at 7 p.m.
Rutgers is back home after being edged 1-0 at Wisconsin on Saturday. The night's lone goal was scored by the Badgers in the 36th minute of play. Both teams ended the night with 13 shots apiece. Jason Wright and Rayon Gibbs led RU with three shots each.
The Scarlet Knights had one of their best looks at the equalizer in the game's closing moments. Ross Tetro crossed the ball into the box looking to Rayon Gibbs for the header at the far post. The two could not connect and the Wisconsin defense used only one tap to clear the ball, which was then collected by Niel Guzman six-yards out. Guzman fired at the center of the Wisconsin net, but Badger keeper Phillip Schilling came up with the save to prevent extra time for his team.
In RU's last home contest, the Scarlet Knights nearly pulled off a dramatic come from behind upset against No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles were up 5-0 by the game's 20th minute before the Scarlet Knights stormed back to within one goal, 5-4, with 35 minutes to go.
The Eagles cushioned their lead in the 70th minute, but with 12 minutes remaining Jason Wright collected his third goal of the evening to once again cut the Scarlet Knight deficit to one.
RU had four more chances before time expired, but weren't able to find the back of the net.
Jason Wright posted his second career hat trick and ended the night with seven points (3G, 1A), with juniors Niel Guzman and Dante Perez also getting into the scoring mix.
The Eagles were the sixth ranked team RU has faced in its first eight games of the season.
ABOUT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines come to Piscataway with a 2-6-3 overall mark and 1-4-0 Big Ten record. Michigan has won two straight with 2-0 wins over Detroit and Penn State last week.
Francis Atuahene leads the Wolverines with four goals, while Robbie Mertz and Jack Hallahan have each reached the back of opponent's nets twice this season.
In goal, Evan Louro is holding down a .729 save percentage and is posting a 1.08 goals against average.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Jason Wright put away the golden goal two and a half minutes into overtime to lead the Rutgers men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over league leader Michigan on Oct. 10 at UM Soccer Stadium.
Wright tallied his team-leading ninth goal of the year in the 93rd minute after the two squads had played to a 0-0 stalemate at the end of regulation. Countering off a Michigan corner kick, Miles Hackett found his teammate with a cross six-yards out for a finish into the lower left corner.
Michigan held a slight advantage in shots, 14-13, and outcornered the Scarlet Knights, 11-4.
Netminder David Greczek came up with three saves to preserve the victory. Evan Louro made three stops as well in the loss.
YURCAK RECORDS
The record book was updated following RU's 6-5 loss to No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast last Tuesday night.
Jason Wright's seven-point performance, stemming from three goals and assist tied the Yurcak Field record for points by an individual. All-American Josh Gros (2000-03) also posted seven points against Providence in the Big East days back in 2003.
Wright's three goals also tied the pitch's record and was the second three-goal performance on RU's home field. Wright also had a hat trick against Yale last season in a 5-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
Both Rutgers and FGCU combined for 11 goals, 11 assists and 23 points also setting a new Yurcak Field benchmark for combined points. It was the most points since the Scarlet Knights posted 25 points in an 8-0 win over Loyola (Md.) last season.
NEWS AROUND THE NET
Goalkeeper David Greczek is currently second all-time at Rutgers in saves. The senior has made 325 stops since stepping foot "On The Banks".
Among all active Division I goalkeepers, Greczek is the NCAA Division I leader in career saves (325) and second n saves per game (4.85).
Greczek made a season-high nine saves in the double overtime draw with No. 4 Indiana along with eight saves in contests with No. 4 Maryland, No. 7 Creighton and No. 15 FGCU.
To date, the senior netminder has posted 16 career shutouts, including most recently against No. 4 Indiana.
Greczek has registered 32 career games making five or more stops in his career and nine contests with eight or more saves.
RUTGERS CAREER SAVES
1. - 363 Joe DeMorat '84-'87
2. - 325 David Greczek '13-present
3. - 303 Steve Widdowson '94-'96
4. - 275 Jon Conway '96-'99
5. - 214 Dave Barrueta '88-'90
UP NEXT
The homestand continues with Princeton on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Fans can gain free admission to the contest with the Tigers by showing your Michigan football ticket (10/08/16) stub at the box office. Additionally, the first 500 fans will receive a free Rutgers window cling.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along withwww.ScarletKnights.com.
