PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 21 Rutgers men's soccer (7-0-1) hosts Wisconsin (3-2-3) on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Yurcak Field. Rutgers is seeking its best nine-match start to a campaign since 1983, when the Scarlet Knights completed an unbeaten regular season at 17-0-2.
Fans attending the match on Friday can grab a FREE Rutgers Soccer scarf while supplies last.
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HOW TO FOLLOW: Big Ten+ | Live Audio (WRSU) | Live Stats | @RUMensSoccer on Twitter & Instagram
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PREVIOUSLY ON ...
- Rutgers remained unbeaten by taking down Penn by a 1-0 final score on Monday night at Yurcak Field.
- Junior Anthony O'Donnell scored his first career goal to help RU improve to 7-0-1 on the season, the Scarlet Knights' best start to a season since 1985.
- Thomas DeVizio and Matthew Acosta provided the assists, marking DeVizio's fourth and Acosta's first collegiate point.
- It was RU's fifth shutout of the season, which is the top mark in the Big Ten and tied for second most in the NCAA.
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SCOUTING THE BADGERS: Wisconsin opened Big Ten play with a 1-1 draw at home against Michigan State, the Badgers' third tie of the season. Wisconsin is unbeaten over its last four matches (3-0-1) with three shutouts led by goalkeepers Carter Abbott (0.49 GAA, 2 shutouts) and Adir Raphael (0.73 GAA, 2 shutouts). Inaki Iribarren leads the team with three goals and Andrew Akindele paces the squad with three assists.
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HISTORY VS. WISCONSIN: The Badgers hold the slight 5-4 overall edge in a head-to-head series that began upon Rutgers' entrance into the Big Ten in 2014. However, the Scarlet Knights have won two straight in 2019 (3-0 in New Jersey) and last time out in the Spring of 2021 (1-0 at a neutral indoor field in Illinois). Those two wins under head coach
Jim McElderry disrupted a five-match Badger winning streak from 2015-18.
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A GARDEN STATE STATEMENT: The Scarlet Knights entered the national rankings with a No. 21 listing in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, joining a No. 12 rank by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 19 rank at College Soccer News.
The stunning 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.
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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 last week, two in the 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's on Monday and the equalizer at No. 11 Indiana Friday. 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 the three weeks to start the 2021 season.
Nico Rosamilia is the latest with 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 two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Asher and the defense were one of just two teams in NCAA Division I to post four shutouts in their first four matches. 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 five shutouts, while Rutgers ranks 12th in the nation and first in the Big Ten with a 0.49 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 seven of the eight games early this 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 (
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