Starting XI: No. 22 Men’s Soccer vs. Penn State

Oct 04 | Men's Soccer

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The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights host the Nittany Lions on Tuesday in a Big Ten Network match.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 22 Rutgers men's soccer (7-1-2, 1-1-1) hosts Penn State (6-3-1, 2-0-0) on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at Yurcak Field and live on Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights are seeking to break the Nittany Lions' eight-match winning streak in the head-to-head series since RU joined the Big Ten in 2014.

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HOW TO FOLLOW: Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters & Patrick Doody) | Live Stats | Live Audio

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PREVIOUSLY ON ...

Then-No. 24 Rutgers men's soccer (7-1-2, 1-1-1) earned a point on the Big Ten table with a scoreless draw at No. 8 Maryland (7-1-1, 2-0-1) on Tuesday evening in a nationally televised match on Big Ten Network.
The draw earned the Scarlet Knights their first point against a Top 10 team since a scoreless draw at No. 4 Indiana on Sept. 23, 2016. In two road matches this season at ranked opponents, Rutgers is unbeaten at 1-0-1 following tonight's result and the 2-1 victory at then-No. 11 Indiana on Sept. 17.
Rutgers junior goalkeeper Oren Asher and the Scarlet Knight defense posted their sixth shutout of the season, which is tied for second most in the NCAA, with Asher making seven saves between the pipes as his season goals-against average dipped to 0.42.

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SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State was receiving votes in last week's United Soccer Coaches national poll published on Tues., Sept. 28. Penn State is 6-3-1 and has started 2-0 in Big Ten play with a 2-1 win over Northwestern and a 1-0 victory at Michigan State. Rutgers will be the Nittany Lions' second ranked opponent of the season after a 1-0 loss to then-No. 15 Pittsburgh on Sept. 13. RU and Penn State have two common opponents this year: Penn (Rutgers won 1-0 on Sept. 20 and Penn State won 2-1 on Sept. 10) and Princeton (Rutgers won 1-0 on Sept. 3 and Penn State lost 1-0 on Sept. 25).

Penn State is led by Peter Mangione (five goals, one assist) and Andrew Privett (four goals, three assists) on the scoring front with 11 points apiece. Liam Butts has four goals to help pace an offense that scored 1.7 goals per contest. Kris Shakes minds the goal with a 5-2-0 record, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .774 save percentage with two shutouts.

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HISTORY VS. PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions are undefeated against Rutgers as Big Ten opponents at 8-0-0 since 2014 with a goal differential of +14 (22-8). RU's last win in the series, which PSU leads 16-8 since 1982, came in 2013 in Piscataway, a 4-1 victory for the Scarlet Knights in non-conference action.

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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.

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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 fourth in the nation with five shutouts, while Rutgers ranks 22nd in the nation and second in the Big Ten with a 0.65 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.

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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.

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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 nine of the 10 games halfway through the season, while Rosamilia leads the team with seven points on offense.

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