Rutgers University
UCLA
Men's Soccer to Celebrate Senior Day Against UCLA on Saturday
Oct 28 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (8-3-5, 4-2-2) will close out the 2022 regular season against nonconference foe UCLA (8-5-1, 3-3-1) on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. The contest will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.
Senior Day
The Scarlet Knights will also celebrate Senior Day on Saturday with a ceremony to follow postgame. The team will honor graduate student Pablo Avila as well as seniors Randy Arronis, Thomas DeVizio, Hugo Le Guennec, MD Myers, Anthony O'Donnell, Jackson Temple, Chris Tiao and Keegan Vedder.
Last Time Out
To finish out Big Ten play, the Scarlet Knights downed Penn State on Tuesday night for the first time since 2013, since joining the league. The victory secures a home game for RU 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 Rutgers 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.
26' | Allllll Acosta ⚽️
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 26, 2022
Matt Acosta records his first career goal to give RU the lead!
📺 @BigTenNetwork (https://t.co/duTHs9QsBd)
📊 https://t.co/SwWcft4h2g
📰 https://t.co/TR5qCEOYAN#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/fkxnBL8oWE
40' | 2⃣ in a row!!
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 26, 2022
Ian Abbey scores in his second consecutive game to give Rutgers a 2-0 lead!
📺 @BigTenNetwork (https://t.co/duTHs9QsBd)
📊 https://t.co/SwWcft4h2g
📰 https://t.co/TR5qCEOYAN#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/jUzGsDZe6l
The Doctor Is In
Since transferring to Rutgers in the offseason from High Point, MD Myers has flourished as one of the nation's leading forwards.
Myers stands out when looking around the nation as he tied to lead the NCAA with 13 goals through 16 games this season. He also ranks third in both shots on goal per game (2.00) and total points (30) in addition to fourth in goals per game (0.81) and points per game (1.88).
In the Big Ten, Myers paces the league in four of six offensive categories including: goals (13), points (30), shots (55) and shots on goal (32).
The senior forward is the only player in the league to reach 10+ goals in addition to 20+ points. He leads the scoring runner up by five tallies and the second-most points getter by 13.
After his performance against Michigan (Oct. 21), The Delran, New Jersey native was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the second for RU this season.
No surprise here.
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 25, 2022
MD Myers continues to impress as he is named #B1GMSOC Offensive Player of the Week ‼️🏆
📰: https://t.co/zetkJ5k7Y5#GoRU | #RUMS | #B1GMSOC pic.twitter.com/W8oTpnBqP6
Through 16 games this fall, Myers has found the back of the net in 10 contests, including six of the last seven. He has also recorded points in 11 outings.
With one regular season matchup still to play, Myers has already solidified himself in the record books. His 30 points ranks tied for 17th all-time while his 13 goals are tied for 13th in a single season. He is also the first Scarlet Knight to reach the 30-point milestone in a single season since Jordan Hall ended the 2018 season with 30 points.
B1G praise for MD Myers from the @BigTenNetwork 👏
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 26, 2022
🗣️"MD Myers is one of the best players I have seen in this league in a long time." #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/NHGw822Lux
Looking Around The League
With the victory over Penn State, Rutgers is currently tied for second place in the Big Ten standing with 14 points, tied with Ohio State (9-1-5, 4-1-2). Maryland (9-2-4, 5-0-3) still leads the way with 15 points.
While RU has a bye week to end the season, the remaining eight teams will play Sunday, Oct. 30 to determine the final Big Ten standings.
Myers and Temple Ranked TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Poll
Myers and Jackson Temple earned spots on TopDrawerSoccer's midseason rankings. Myers cracked the top-25 at No. 24, the second highest ranking in the Big Ten, and Temple came in ranked No. 66.
The ranking includes the highest ranked college soccer players in the nation and includes sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Both Myers and Temple have played major roles in RU's attacking unit, each ranking top-3 in every team offensive statistic (goals, points, assists, shots and shots on goal).
Temple was also ranked No. 63 in the preseason poll.
B1G Time
As a team, Rutgers leads the Big Ten in several categories including: goals (37), shots (231), assists (40) and points (114).
The teams also paces the league in five of six offensive categories as Myers tops the stats in goals (13), points (30), shots (55) in addition to shots on goal (32) and Jason Bouregy tops the league with eight assists.
Spreading the Love
Through 16 games, the Scarlet Knights have seen 12 unique goal scorers for 37 goals and 114 points.
MD Myers leads the pack with 13 scores after securing braces against Omaha (Aug. 25), Yale (Sept. 5) and Maryland (Oct. 4) in addition to one-goal outings against Rider (Sept. 9), UAlbany (Sept. 13), Ohio State (Sept. 30), Indiana (Oct. 9), Stony Brook (Oct. 12), Michigan State (Oct. 16) and Michigan (Oct. 21).
Temple (5), Pablo Avila (4), Bouregy (3), Ian Abbey (2), Ola Maeland (2), Hugo Le Guennec (2), Bryan Keating (1), Cole Cruthers (1), Joey Zalinsky (1), Tommy DeVizio (1) and Matthew Acosta (1) have all also added goals for the Scarlet Knights.
With 114 total points this slate, this slate marks the first the Scarlet Knights have hit triple digit points since 2015, when the team ended with 123 points. RU is the only team in the Big Ten to hit triple digits.
Welcoming the Newcomers
Head coach Jim McElderry and his staff added 11 newcomers to the squad in the offseason, including three transfers and seven freshmen.
Transfers MD Myers (High Point), Saahb Kular (Cleveland State), Nick Spittle (Seneca [OCAA]), Zach Riviere (Georgetown) and freshmen William Baker, Sam Delgado, Ian Abbey, Nestor Cabrera, Cole Cruthers, Ciaran Dalton and Dylan Van Der Walt were all welcomed to the team.
The freshmen trio of Abbey, Cruthers and Dalton have made an impact on the team this season, all recording starts. Dalton tops the goalkeepers with two shutouts and six wins while Abbey has recorded back-to-back game winning goals. Cruthers added a goal against Northwestern (Sept. 27) and has started 13 of 15 games this fall.
Back Again
The Scarlet Knights return 20 student-athletes overall and 11 players with eight or more starts from the 2021 roster that went 9-6-2, the most wins in a campaign since 2015. Notably, All-Region and All-Big Ten selection Jackson Temple and All-Big Ten Freshman Team picks Matthew Acosta and Joey Zalinsky will be returning to the roster.
Graduate students Thomas DeVizio and Pablo Avila made the decision in the offseason to return to the pitch for their final year of eligibility. Last season, the two veterans combined for 13 points, including three goals and seven assists.
Looking Into the Bruins
UCLA will face Rutgers on Saturday for its final nonconference game of the season. Following a three-game winning streak, The Bruins dropped their most recent contest to Stanford (0-1), their first PAC-12 loss of the season.
Three Bruins in Jose Contell and Kevin Diaz are tied at the top of the statistics with three goals and two assists for eight points each. Tommy Silva also matches them at the top with six assists and one goal for eight points.
Saturday's contest will mark the ninth meeting between the two programs, and first since 2011, where UCLA owns the 6-1-1 all-time edge. Rutgers' only win came Oct. 14, 1990 with a 2-1 decision. However, later that same year on Dec. 2, UCLA defeated RU in PKs to win the 1990 NCAA National Championship.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will host the Quarterfinals round of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament on Friday, Nov. 4. The match time and opponent will be determined on Sunday, Oct. 30 when the rest of the conference finishes play.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer). 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.
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