PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's soccer team is back at Yurcak Field on Friday night welcoming the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten opener with a 8 p.m. kickoff following the Rutgers women's soccer team's matchup with Nebraska at 5 p.m.

PARKING
Click here to register for parking.

HOW TO WATCH
Friday's game will be streamed live on BTN Plus with Lou Brongo and Glenn Crooks on the call.

To learn more about BTN Plus and subscription packages, click here.

PROMOTIONS
Fans can visit the marketing table at the entrance to Yurcak Field to pick up a Rutgers men's soccer t-shirt.



B1G OPENER
The Rutgers men's soccer team is in game three of a four game homestand and opens up Big Ten play with last year's regular season champions, Michigan.

The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 2-2 double overtime draw with Hartford last Saturday night. 

Hartford took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute, but Rutgers did not have to wait very long to join the Hawks on the scoreboard. Sophomore Vincenzo Pugliese sent the ball in from the right side of the 18 looking ahead to Nick Cruz heading towards the Hartford goal. The RU freshman, however, was taken down leading to a Scarlet Knight penalty kick. 

Junior Jordan Hall took the PK sending his kick into the right post for his third goal of the year and knotted the score at 1-1.
 
The Scarlet Knights took a 2-1 edge only 32 seconds after the intermission. Pugliese lofted the ball from the far side of the field towards redshirt senior Kyle Goodwin in front of the Hartford goal. A Hawk defender, however, looking to clear the ball out over the end line headed the ball into the back of his own net.

The Hawks, however, tied the game up at 2-2 in the 68th minute off a strike by Xahne Reid from 20 yards out into the lower right corner.

Rutgers' best chance to go back ahead before the end of regulation came in the 76th minute with Hall setting up Pugliese at the top of the 18, but Hartford keeper Jimmy Slayton made a diving save to keep the score tied.

The Scarlet Knights managed the only shot in extra time with a Hall attempt just inside the right side of the 18 blocked.

ABOUT MICHIGAN
Michigan men's soccer also opens up conference play and plays its first game away from the friendly confines of U-M Stadium on Friday night. 

The Wolverines roll into Piscataway with a 4-1 overall mark. After falling 2-1 to Tulsa on Aug. 24, Michigan has rattled off four-straight wins including a 3-2 win over a Western Michigan receiving votes and more recently a 3-0 shutout of Marquette on Monday night.

A 2017 Big Ten All-Freshman selection, forward Mohammed Zakyi leads Michigan on the stat sheet entering Friday night's matchup with seven points (2,3) and is followed by sophomore forward Umar Farouk Osman and junior forward Jack Hallahan with six points (2G, 2A) each.

In goal, sophomore Henry Mashburn has accumulated eight saves and a 0.79 save percentage along with three shutouts.

LAST TIME AGAINST MICHIGAN
The Rutgers men's soccer team battled back from an early deficit against the eventual 2017 regular season champions and trailed Michigan by a goal at the intermission. The Wolverines, however, added an insurance goal early in the second half en-route to the 3-1 win over the Scarlet Knights back on October 6, 2017.

Michigan mustered a 2-0 edge 20 minutes into the contest off a goals by Ivo Cerda and Francis Atuahene. The Scarlet Knights, however, would strike in the 38th minute and trail 2-1 at the half.

Former midfielder Erik Sa took a restart from 35-yards out looking to bend the ball into the back left side of the Wolverine goal. Fellow senior Ryan Peterson, however, dove to head the ball across the goal and into the right side for his second goal of the season.

The Wolverines went on to add an insurance goal by Atuahene in the 57th minute while keeping Rutgers at bay.

In goal, Rafael Pereira made five saves. His counterpart Andrew Verdi made three stops, including potential equalizers by Sa off a restart late in the first half and an early attempt by Vincent Borden in the second half.

B1G STAT SPEAKING
Rutgers leading scorer Jordan Hall currently leads the Big Ten in shots averaging 3.40 attempts per game and totaling 17 over the first five games of the season.

UP NEXT:
The Rutgers men's soccer team closes out its current homestand on September 18 in a nonconference tilt with Marist at 7 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will be celebrating Military Appreciation night with free USA R magnets available at the marketing table.

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 with www.ScarletKnights.com. For additional updates, download the Rutgers Gameday App.