Sunday, October 10
Piscataway, NJ
2:30 PM
Rutgers
vs
Michigan State
Starting XI: No. 22 Men’s Soccer vs. Michigan State
Oct 10 | Men's Soccer
The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights host the Spartans on Sunday in a Big Ten match
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 22 Rutgers men's soccer (7-2-2, 1-2-1) hosts Michigan State (4-5-2, 0-2-2) on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m. at Yurcak Field and live on Big Ten+. The Scarlet Knights are playing in their penultimate regular season home game before heading out on the road for three consecutive matches before the season final on Oct. 31 at Yurcak.
The contest is the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Game, presented by RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
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HOW TO FOLLOW: Big Ten+ | Live Stats | Live Audio | @RUMensSoccer on Twitter & InstagramII
PREVIOUSLY ON ...- No. 22 Rutgers suffered a 2-0 setback to Penn State (7-3-1, 3-0-0) on Tuesday evening at Yurcak Field.
- The Nittany Lions scored in each half, on a quick strike in the 40th minute and a converted penalty kick in the 83rd for the two-goal margin.
- Rutgers had its chances on the other end, with a 13-10 lead in shots and 4-3 edge in shots on target, but could not convert.
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SCOUTING SPARTY: Michigan State is winless at 0-2-1 over its last three contests and is coming off a dramatic 2-2 double-overtime draw at rival Michigan on Tuesday. Seniors Farai Mutatu and Jack Beck lead the attack. The six goals scored by Mutatu are the most by a Spartan since Ryan Sierakowski scored eight in 2018. Beck's seven assists are the most by an MSU player since All-American Giuseppe Barone had 10 helpers in 2018. Senior midfielder and East Brunswick, N.J. native Olu Ogunwale returns home after scoring his first career goal against the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway in 2019 in a 3-0 win for Sparty.Nine different Spartans have scored a goal in 2021. Hunter Morse has a 1.34 goals-against average in eight starts in net with a 3-4-1 record, .732 save percetage, and one shutout.
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HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN STATE: Rutgers scored its first win against the Spartans during the Spring 2021 season, moving MSU's record in the head-to-head to 1-5-1 since RU joined the Big Ten in 2014. Jackson Temple offered up two assists for Ritchie Barry and Colin Beasley in the 2-0 road victory. RU now seeks its first win against the Spartans in New Jersey, where Michigan State is undefeated at 3-0-0 in three trips.V
A GARDEN STATE STATEMENT: The Scarlet Knights entered the national rankings with a No. 21 listing in the Sept. 21 United Soccer Coaches poll. RU is now No. 22, joining a No. 11 rank by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 20 rank at College Soccer News.The 2-1 victory at the three-time defending Big Ten regular season and tournament champions Indiana marked the Scarlet Knights' first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015. Indiana lost its Big Ten opener for just the third time in its storied history, falling to 23-3-5. Scoring twice in the contest, it also marked the first time Rutgers tallied a goal in the series with the Hoosiers since 2015. Rutgers' draw at No. 8 Maryland marked the program's first point against a Top 10 team since 2016.
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COMING UP ROSAMILIA: Scarlet Knight rookie Nico Rosamilia launched into the team lead with seven points thanks to his three goals, two in the 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's and the equalizer at No. 11 Indiana. The Roseland, New Jersey native started the first three games of the season, grabbing his first collegiate point on Rutgers' very first goal of the 2021 season, an assist to Thomas DeVizio. Rosamilia is a product of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls development academy, where he netted 12 goals in 2020 and earned "Man of the Match" honors in consecutive weeks against the Montreal Impact and DC United.VII
RAKING IN THE HONORS: Rutgers has earned a Big Ten Player of the Week honor in four of the first six weeks to start the 2021 season. Nico Rosamilia won the Offensive Player of the Week honor on Sept. 14. Thomas DeVizio was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for his two assists in the win over Lehigh from Sept. 10. It was the second national honor of the season, joining Oren Asher's College Soccer News Team of the Week distinction from Sept. 7.Asher is a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Asher and the defense are one of just two teams in NCAA Division I to post four shutouts in their first four matches of the season. Asher was the only goalkeeper in the nation with 380 minutes played and no goals allowed to start the season. Asher is tied for third in the nation with six shutouts, while Rutgers ranks 23rd in the nation and second in the Big Ten with a 0.70 goals-against average.
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OUT OF CONFERENCE IS IN: The season opener against Delaware was Rutgers' first non-conference match in 667 days. Last time RU had a non-conference slate, the Scarlet Knights went 6-1-2 out of conference for its fifth-best non-league winning percentage in school history.Rutgers is now 11-1-3 in non-conference action under head coach Jim McElderry.
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SPRING BACK: Head coach Jim McElderry guided Rutgers not only through a nontraditional pandemic season, but also posted four Big Ten wins and finished in fifth place in the conference along the way - both tying program highs since joining the league in 2014. The conference-only campaign finished 4-4-1 and included historic wins for RU: a first-ever victory in seven tries against Michigan State and the program's first triumph over Maryland since 1995. The season ended with a touch of heartbreak as Maryland outlasted the Scarlet Knights, 5-4, in a penalty shootout at the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals following a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes.X
RU EXPERIENCED?: The vast majority of the group that found so much success last Spring is back for the Fall. The Scarlet Knights welcome back 10 returning starters. In all, 19 players who saw action last Spring return for the Fall, making up 24 of the 27 points scored and 91 percent of the minutes played throughout the roster. Rutgers returns some hardware with graduate student striker Ritchie Barry staying on for his fifth year after being named All-Big Ten Second Team in the Spring.XI
NEW KIDS "ON THE BANKS": McElderry recruited seven freshmen and three transfers to make up 10 newcomers on the 2021 Fall roster. Xavi Olmos is a grad transfer from Florida International, while Jason Bouregy (American) and Jace Orvos (Penn State) transfer in as sophomores. The seven first-years include five New Jersey natives - Matthew Acosta, Aurie Briscoe, Bryan Keating, Nico Rosamilia, and Joey Zalinsky - along with Adam Davies from Pennsylvania and Aidan Flynn from the Portland Timbers Academy.Freshmen Acosta and Zalinsky both made starts in 10 of the 11 games halfway through the season, while Rosamilia leads the team with seven points on offense.
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/RUMensSoccer). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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