PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The No. 24 Rutgers men's soccer team remains unbeaten but collected a 1-1 double overtime draw with Penn on Tuesday night at Rhodes Field.
- After Chris Tiao was taken down left end line, the Scarlet Knights looked to Pablo Ávila for the PK with the sophomore converting in the ninth minute.
- The Quakers tied the score up in the 69th minute off a corner kick. Brandon Bartel's serve was headed in from the front of the net by Alex Touche.
- Penn had a dangerous chance for a go ahead goal in the 74th minute with Joey Bhangdia receiving a cross at the left post and hitting the crossbar sending and bouncing the ball in front of the net and back into play.
- Only one shot was taken in the first OT with Bhangdia, off a restart in the final moments, going just wide of the left post from 30 yards out.
- Both teams had looks on goal in the game's final 30 seconds with each side getting the stop from their respective keepers.
- Rutgers was outshot 14-11 with Pablo Ávila accounting for four of the Scarlet Knights' attempts.
- The Scarlet Knights held a 4-2 advantage in corners, but it was off the Quakers' second corner that Penn was able to tie the game.
- RU netminder Oren Asher finished the game with five stops with two in each half along with the late save in the closing moments of the second OT.
- Penn's Dane Jacomen made three saves in the draw.
- Rutgers is off to its best start since 1990 when the Scarlet Knights also started off 5-0-1.
- The Scarlet Knights returned to the Top 25 earlier in the day with RU appeared at No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and at No. 25 in the TopDrawerSoccer Poll.
- Pablo Ávila took his first Scarlet Knight PK to score his second goal of the season.
- Nick Cruz made his first appearance in the starting XI this season.
"We're disappointed we tied this match and for not playing our best, but the season is young. We showed glimpses of really good stuff and now we prepare for the biggest match of the season so far in opening up Big Ten play at Michigan. We need to think about the things may have done wrong or what we can do better and get ready for our next game.
" – senior
Jake Longo
"I think it's a good sign after the game that our guys felt like they lost the game. That's a good sign of the standards we are trying to set here. It's always disappointing when you are ahead and then not win the game, but I thought it was a tight game that could have gone either way. There were a couple of moments in the second half that we looked a little down, but the overall effort was good in blocking shots. That's going to happen when you play good teams. They are going to get on top of you at moments, but can you survive those moments and not concede a goal. The effort is something our guys have shown since day one and I'm pleased with that, but they are disappointed they didn't win." – head coach
Jim McElderry
The Rutgers men's soccer team opens up Big Ten play on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Michigan with a 3 p.m. kickoff in Ann Arbor.
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