Starting XI: Men’s Soccer at Penn State

Monday, March 15

University Park, Pa.

12 PM ET

Rutgers University

Penn State

Mar 14 | Men's Soccer

Watch on Big Ten Network Live Stats

The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights take on the Nittany Lions in Big Ten action

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Rutgers men's soccer (3-2-0) gets a rematch with Penn State (2-1-0) on the road Monday, March 15 at 12 p.m. ET at Jeffrey Field, airing live on Big Ten Network.

I HOW TO FOLLOW: Big Ten Network (Play-by-play: Chris Vosters; Analyst: Chris Doran) | Live Stats | @RUMensSoccer

II LAST TIME OUT: The Scarlet Knights fell to a Golden Goal by No. 9 Michigan (3-0-0) in the 94^th minute, as the Wolverines escaped with a 1-0 overtime victory at Yurcak Field last Sunday afternoon. Rutgers once again played with 10 men for a significant portion of a game, and again, sophomore goalkeeper Oren Asher and the defense were up for the challenge. With the game scoreless, Michigan outshot the Scarlet Knights 16-1 in the second half and overtime, with Asher making eight stops and sophomore defender Hugo Le Guennec making a save off the line with a diving header in the 76^th minute.

III SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State is receiving points in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, but have been out of action since Feb. 27 due to COVID-19 issues. The Nittany Lions had two ranked road matches postponed at No. 9 Michigan and No. 19 Indiana. PSU is 2-1 with a 3-2 win over then-No. 21 Maryland, a 2-1 win at Rutgers, and a 1-0 loss to Michigan State.

Peter Mangione leads the PSU attack with five points on two goals and an assist, including the game-winner against Rutgers on Feb. 23. Daniel Bloyou, Andrew Privett, and Pierre Reedy all have goals through three matches, while Owen Elliott (1.00 GAA, .750 save %) and Kris Shakes (2.00 GAA, .667 save %) have split the time in net.

IV THE SERIES: Penn State leads the all-time series 15-8 since 1982, with the sides never drawing. Since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014, the Nittany Lions have won all eight contests.

V LAST TIME VS. PENN STATE: HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. – Rutgers dropped a 2-1 final score to No. 20 Penn State in the 2021 Spring home opener on Feb. 23 at Iron Peaks Sports & Events. All three of the contest's goals were scored in the first half, with a Jackson Temple penalty kick goal sandwiched between Penn State tallies. Rutgers' Cole Sotack picked up his second yellow card of the game in the 49^th minute, forcing the freshman off the pitch as the Scarlet Knights played the final 40 minutes with 10 men. Peter Mangione's game-winner came in the 36th minute, 3:20 after Temple tied it up.

VI TO ASHER WE SHALL RETURN: Sophomore goalkeeper Oren Asher, who is ranked first in the Big Ten with three shutouts, earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for a second time this season after his 2-0 shutout against Maryland and an eight-save performance in the 1-0 setback to No. 9 Michigan. Also earning the distinction after opening week on Feb. 24, Asher becomes the first Scarlet Knights to earn multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards from the Big Ten, and the first Scarlet Knight overall to earn multiple weekly conference awards in a season since Jason Wright in 2015. Asher ranks second in the Big Ten with an .880 save percentage and third with a 0.60 goals-against average.

VII RITCHIE ROLLIN': Senior Ritchie Barry, a transfer from St. Joseph's, is ranked third in the Big Ten with three goals this season. That gives him 16 goals for his career. The free kick specialist bent a beautiful direct shot from 23 yards out for an important insurance goal against Maryland in the 63rd minute on Wednesday, as the Scarlet Knights were playing with 10 men for the final 39 minutes of the contest.

VIII TEMPLE TIME: Sophomore midfielder Jackson Temple was named to the National Team of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer after opening week, and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following Week 2.The Millville, Pa. native has at least two points in three of five matches, scoring the lone goal in the 1-0 win at Wisconsin. Temple had his hand in all three Rutgers goals through the first two matches of the season. He assisted both tallies in the 2-0 victory at Michigan State, which was the program's first win against the Spartans and the first win a Big Ten opener since 2014. Temple then scored RU's goal in the 2-1 setback to No. 20 Penn State, burying a penalty in the 33^rd minute to draw the Scarlet Knights even.

IX PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Big Ten Conference announced Pablo Avila, Hugo Le Guennec and Jackson Temple as Rutgers Players to Watch for the 2021 Spring Season. Avila, a junior from Terrassa, Spain, is returning as the team's leading point scorer with six goals and two assists, earning a nod to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Le Guennec and Temple were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2019, and return with big expectations for their sophomore years "On the Banks." Le Guennec, a back out of Massy, France, contributed to Rutgers' four shutouts and an exceptional 0.84 goals-against average during the 6-0-2 start. Temple, a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, was the team's second-leading point scorer with five goals.

X EARNED EXPERIENCE: RU returns 14 letterwinners from last season, including eight of 11 starters. Junior Pablo Avila is the leading returning point scorer with six goals and two assists from last season. Junior Thomas DeVizio has 30 appearances on the backline, where he's joined by Le Guennec, Borden. Senior midfielder Kyle Galloway has played in 39 career games, joined by senior Vincenzo Pugliese (31 career appearances) and junior Nick Cruz (27 games played). A young attacking front includes sophomores Anthony O'Donnell and Randy Arronis, who both picked up their first collegiate points last season as freshmen.

XI NEW BLOOD: The Scarlet Knights have the No. 26 nationally ranked recruiting class heading into the season, according to Top Drawer Soccer. Coach McElderry and staff welcomed 12 newcomers to the roster - 11 freshmen and senior transfer Ritchie Barry from St. Joseph's. Barry (3) and freshman Colin Beasley (1) have scored goals for RU, while Moussa Sabaly made the starting lineup in all five matches for RU, picking up his first collegiate point with an assist on Barry's first goal. Ola Maeland has played impactful minutes over the last four outings, with an average of 30.5 minutes per match over that span. Meet the newest Scarlet Knights.

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.
- RU -