Starting XI: Men’s Soccer at No. 22 Indiana (B1G Quarterfinals)

Nov 06 | Men's Soccer

Watch on B1G+Live Stats Tournament Central

The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights take on the Hoosiers on Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 6 seeded Rutgers men's soccer (9-5-2) travels to 3-seed Indiana (12-4-1) for the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The Scarlet Knights are seeking their first B1G semifinal appearance since 2015. It's a battle of the Big Ten's best goalkeepers with IU's Roman Celentano and RU's Oren Asher ranking first and second in the conference with eight and seven shutouts, respectively.

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PREVIOUSLY ON ...

Rutgers finished the regular season in style with a 4-0 victory over Ohio State (6-8-1, 2-5-0) on Sunday at Yurcak Field.
The 4-0 score is Rutgers' most lopsided win since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
It also marks the most goals in a Big Ten game for the Scarlet Knights since 2015, and the most in any game since a 4-1 victory over Lafayette on Oct. 16, 2018.
Junior Jackson Temple led the offensive onslaught with four points on a goal and two assists.
Sophomore Ola Maeland netted the opener and the effective game-winner.
Sophomore Colin Beasley posted his first two goals of the season late in the second half.

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SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS: Indiana claimed the 3-seed in the conference tournament with a 5-3 record in the regular season. The Hoosiers were in the running for the Big Ten title heading into the final match day before a loss at Maryland in the finale. IU boasts two major Big Ten award winners in Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Celentano and Defender of the Year Daniel Munie, who have chipped into a 0.76 goals-against average, 19th in the nation and second in the Big Ten. Victor Bezzera leads the attack with 17 points on six goals and five assists.

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HISTORY VS. INDIANA: Rutgers defeated the then-No. 11 ranked Hoosiers in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in Bloomington on Sept. 17. In the Scarlet Knights' first ranked win since 2015, they erased a 1-0 deficit with goals from Nico Rosamilia and Jackson Temple, Rutgers' first goals against Indiana since 2015.

Indiana holds a 10-3-2 advantage in the 15 previous matchups played between the two programs. The two sides have met eight times on the pitch since Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2014 season. Indiana holds a series edge of 5-2-1 in those matches.

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B1G TIME: Rutgers is 2-6-1 in the Big Ten Tournament since joining the conference in 2014. The Scarlet Knights made one semifinal appearance in 2015. Last time, in the Spring 2021 playing of the tournament, Rutgers drew 1-1 with Maryland on the road in the quarterfinals before the Terrapins advanced 5-4 on penalties.

The 2021 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament is a week-long, eight-team event that will be contested entirely at campus sites around the conference. The tournament kicks off Sunday, Nov. 7, with four quarterfinal matches at the top four seeds. The winners of those matches will advance to the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 10, to be hosted by the two highest remaining seeds following the quarterfinals. The championship match will then be played Sunday, Nov. 14 at the highest remaining seed.

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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Colin Beasley's brace in the 4-0 win over Ohio State in the regular season finale made him the 11th different Scarlet Knight to score a goal this season and the 14th to record a point. Following Jackson Temple's team-leading six goals, Nico Rosamilia has three, senior captain Pablo Avila and Ritchie Barry both have two, and captain Thomas DeVizio, Ola Maeland, Vincent Borden, Anthony O'Donnell, Chris Tiao, and Cole Sotack have all found the back of the net this Fall. Matthew Acosta is one of five Scarlet Knights with multiple assists this season.

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RAKING IN THE HONORS: Junior forward Jackson Temple and graduate student defender Vincent Borden have been named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, freshman midfielder Matthew Acosta is a unanimous choice for the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, and freshman defender Joey Zalinsky earns a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Ola Maeland has been named Rutgers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.

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 17th in the nation with six shutouts.

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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": First-year student-athletes and New Jersey natives Joey Zalinsky, Matthew Acosta, and Nico Rosamilia represent the Rutgers men on the Top Drawer Soccer Freshmen Top 100 midseason rankings. Rutgers is one of 11 schools across NCAA Division I to have three or more players on the ranked list.

No. 21 Zalinsky has played in 14 of Rutgers' 16 matches of the 2021 season with 13 starts on the backline while contributing to seven RU shutouts.
No. 51 Acosta has been a mainstay in Jim McElderry's lineup with a call to the Starting XI in all 16 games to start his collegiate career. The freshman picked up his first collegiate assist in the 1-0 victory over Penn on Sept. 20, and added his second helper on the goal against Michigan State on Oct. 10.
No. 78 Rosamilia was the Scarlet Knights' leading scorer through 13 match days with seven points on three goals and an assist. He has played in all 16 contests with nine nods to the starting lineup. The freshman recorded his first collegiate point in his very first game with an assist in the season opening victory over Delaware, then scored his first two career goals with a brace in the 2-1 Saint Joseph's victory on Sept. 13. Rosamilia made it three scores in two games with the opening tally in the 2-1 upset victory at then-No. 11 Indiana on Sept. 17.

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