PRINCETON, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team returned to the win column Tuesday night at Roberts Stadium with a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Princeton in the 59^th meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Tigers on the pitch.

Redshirt junior midfielder Miles Hackett powered down the right sideline after collecting a feed from senior midfielder Dante Perez. Hackett maneuvered into the box and fired through three Tigers defenders from six-yards out for the game's lone goal in the 55^th minute.

"We stayed to our tactics," said head coach Dan Donigan. "The guys picked and chose and waited for their opportunities. Miles (Hackett) made a beautiful play and Dante (Perez) gave a beautiful ball out. It was a great way to win the game."

Junior goalkeeper Rafael Pereira, in his second shutout as a Scarlet Knight, tied his season-high with seven saves. The Lisbon, Portugal product made two critical late saves coming off the line to stop Princeton's Gaby Paniagua from six-yards out and denying a Bobby Hickson equalizer as a long throw-in bounced around the box.

"This is a very pivotal point for us to go on the road and come away with a hard-fought win," added Donigan. "I was very pleased with the effort and it wasn't just because of the result. Certainly that added to it, but it was the way we battled, the way we fought and the way we defended. We defended for good portions of that game."

The Scarlet Knights (2-7-1), who have the nation's toughest schedule and have already taken on the top five ranked teams in the nation according to this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll, snapped a five-game skid. The Tigers, who were coming off an upset win over No. 21 Fairfield Dickinson over the weekend, dropped to 1-4-2.

The Rutgers men's soccer team returns home to host Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m. on BTN with Deane Linke and Chris Doran on the call. The game will be the second game of a double header at Yurcak Field. The Rutgers women's team will also host the Badgers at 1 p.m. One ticket gains fans admission to both contests. 
 
KNIGHT NOTES:
- Miles Hackett notched his first goal of the 2017 campaign. It was his eighth career goal and second career game-winner.
- Hackett has totaled 22 points (8G, 6A) in his career.
- Goalkeeper Rafael Pereira picked up his second shutout, which also included a 0-0 draw with UMKC back on Sept. 3.
- Pereira, the Big Ten leader in saves, has averaged 6.7 saves in the last three contests.

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