PRINCETON, N.J. – Rutgers men's soccer (2-0-1) entered rare territory in a 1-0 shutout at Princeton (0-1-0) Friday evening at a packed Sherrerd Field. Goalkeeper Oren Asher's seven saves led to the Scarlet Knight's third consecutive clean sheet to start the season, the first time that's happened "On the Banks" since Alexi Lalas and the NCAA Championship runner-up squad did it in 1990.
 
The contest's lone goal came in the 56^th minute, when Pablo Avila controlled the ball through midfield and threaded a pass through to a streaking Cole Sotack, who ripped a hard and low cross off a Princeton defender. The cross took a fortuitous ricochet away from the Tiger keeper and into the net for the 1-0 Rutgers lead.
 
Asher, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, made three saves in the second half following the goal to preserve the shutout and the victory, including two diving stops in the final three minutes of play. It marked the keeper's 10^th shutout of his career
 
"The whole team is doing a great job defending," Asher said. "It starts in the midfield and the attackers coming back, as well. It's about the team effort. It was a great atmosphere at Princeton and we're happy with the win."
 
"Oren is a fantastic goalkeeper, but it really takes an entire team effort to get these shutouts," said head coach Jim McElderry. "We're proud of the group. Princeton is a great team with great players that caused some problems for us. It was a battle and we want to be known as a team that's tough to play, and I think we lived up to that tonight."
 
Playing in its first official game in 658 days, Princeton took the Tigers' share of the chances, leading 20-12 on shots and 7-4 in shots on target. Princeton also held an 8-3 advantage on corners and held 54 percent of the game's possession. The Tigers returned 18 players from the 2018 Ivy League championship team.
 
Three of Rutgers' four shots on goal came from defenders; two from Vincent Borden and one from Hugo Le Guennec. Sotack was another defender on the attack when he created the own goal with an opportunistic cross.
 
Freshmen Matthew Acosta, Nico Rosamilia, and Joey Zalinsky have now made starts in all three Rutgers contests. Zalinsky, Borden, and senior captain Thomas DeVizio went the distance on Friday with 90 logged minutes.
 
Captain Pablo Avila made his 2021 debut after missing the first two matches with an injury. He played 63 minutes in the victory.

Rutgers pulls closer in the all-time series, which Princeton now leads 29-22-9. The Scarlet Knights and Tigers met for the 60th time since the in-state rivalry began in 1942. The series picks up for the first time since 2017, when RU scored a 1-0 victory at Sherrerd Field - snapping a two-game skid against the Tigers.
 
The Scarlet Knights head home to host Mount St. Mary's on Monday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field on Big Ten+.
 
 
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