UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – To finish out Big Ten play, the Rutgers men's soccer team (7-3-5, 3-2-2) downed Penn State (5-5-4, 2-2-3) on Tuesday night for the first time since 2013, since joining the league. The victory secures a home game for the Scarlet Knights in the 2022 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament, for just the second time in program history.
Underclassmen Matthew Acosta and Ian Abbey both found the back of the net in the first half to lead RU to their eighth overall win of the season and their fourth in conference competition. Ciaran Dalton also continued his strong rookie season, recording sevens tops, including seven from point blank range.
After a slow start, Acosta broke through to get the Scarlet Knights on the board first in the 25th minute of play. The score, assisted by Jason Bouregy and Jackson Temple, was the first of his career.
Then in the 40th minute, Abbey followed up with his third goal of the season, to give RU the 2-0 lead going into halftime. Bouregy and Joey Zalinsky were credited with helpers.
Penn State cut into the lead with its first score of the contest in the 64th minute, to make the score 2-1. However, RU held strong on defense to keep the 2-1 lead until the end of the contest to close out Big Ten play with their second consecutive win.
Goals
26' (RU) Matthew Acosta (1) – Jason Bouregy & Jackson Temple
40' (RU) Ian Abbey (3) – Jason Bouregy & Joey Zalinsky
65' (PSU) Peter Mangione – Liam Butts
Game Notes
- RU secured a home game in the Big Ten tournament for the second time in program history with the win. The first time was in 2015, when the team welcomed Northwestern to Yurcak Field and went onto the second round in the NCAA Tournament.
- The 2-1 victory marks Rutgers first over Penn State since Sept. 6, 2013. The victory is the Scarlet Knights' first in nine meetings between the two programs and since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
- With Tuesday night's victory, Rutgers is now tied with Ohio State for second place in the Big Ten with 14 total points.
- Dalton recorded seven saves in net to tie his career-high he set earlier in the season at Ohio State (Sept. 30). He leads the goalkeepers unit with 37 total stops and six wins.
- Acosta's score is the first of the sophomore's career. He now has seven career points.
- Abbey's goal marks the third of his career and his second game-winning tally in a row. He also scored against Omaha (Aug. 25) and Michigan (Oct. 21) this fall.
- With two assists, Jason Bouregy took over as the lone leader for the Scarlet Knights with eight total helpers this season.
- Zalinsky earned his first career helper on Abbey's score. He now has three points this campaign.
- With 114 total points through 16 games, this season marks the first time RU has reached 100+ points since 2015, when the team ended with 123.
- Through 16 games, the Scarlet Knights have seen 12 unique goal scorers on 37 goals for 114 points. Myers (13), Temple (5), Avila (4), Bouregy (3), Maeland (2), Le Guennec (2) and Abbey (2) all have multiple goals.
- 16 Scarlet Knights saw the pitch on Friday night. Goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton in addition to Zalinsky, Hugo Le Guennec, Thomas DeVizio, Chris Tiao, Cole Cruthers and Matthew Acosta played the entire 90 minutes.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will close out the 2022 regular season against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. The contest will be the Scarlet Knights' second consecutive game broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
With the win over the Nittany Lions, RU has clinched a home game in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals set for Friday, Nov. 4. The team's game time and opponent will be announced on Sunday with the conclusion of Big Ten play.
Follow Along
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