Rutgers University
Indiana
Men's Soccer to Host Indiana in Historic Big Ten Championship Sunday Afternoon
Nov 11 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The No. 2-seeded Rutgers men's soccer team (9-4-6) will host No. 4 Indiana (10-3-6) in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game at Yurcak Field on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
The Historic Season Continues
The No. 2 seed in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament is the highest Rutgers has earned in the Big Ten era.
After appearing in their first semifinal since 2015, the Scarlet Knights will play in and host their first Big Ten Championship in program history.
Last Time Out
Rutgers advanced from the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after defeating No. 16/No. 3-seeded Ohio State, 2-1, on Wednesday night.
Jackson Temple got RU on the board with his first career Big Ten Tournament goal in the 25th minute of play. Chris Tiao and Ola Maeland strung together passes to find Temple for the header.
25' | RUTGERS GETS ON THE BOARD ‼️
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 9, 2022
Jackson Temple scores his sixth goal of the season to put the Scarlet Knights ahead, 1-0.
📻 https://t.co/G8ruwEopqT
📺 https://t.co/O4WwulMmrl (@BigTenNetwork)
📊 https://t.co/4bxrxQSuLv#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/gFKSU3RAs9
In the 61st minute, Tiao tallied the game-winner to send Rutgers into the Big Ten championship.
61' | What a time for Chris Tiao's first goal of the season 🤩
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 10, 2022
The senior puts Rutgers back in front, 2-1!
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📊 https://t.co/jSJZKbbH0W#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/aEDMKvbSW1
If you need us, we'll be watching Chris Tiao's game-winning goal until Sunday ⚽️👀#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/hmFhi170dV
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 10, 2022
The Awards Go To...
Rutgers pulled in a program-best eight Big Ten All-Conferece Awards in 2022. MD Myers led the pack as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year as well as an All-Big Ten First Team selection. Cole Cruthers was selected as the first Co-Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten era, as well as to the All-Freshman Team. This marks the first time in program history the Scarlet Knights have had two major award winners in the same season.
𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 4, 2022
MD Myers is THAT GUY.
The senior forward becomes just the second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in program history 👏
📰: https://t.co/cPrAYIIxUC#GoRU | #RUMS | #B1GMSOC pic.twitter.com/Bbrmn6EqCm
𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 4, 2022
Presenting your Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year, Cole Cruthers 🤩
Cruthers is the first freshman to earn a major conference award since RU joined the Big Ten!
📰: https://t.co/cPrAYIIxUC#GoRU | #RUMS | #B1GMSOC pic.twitter.com/3zHEhJQrge
Jason Bouregy and Hugo Le Guennec earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors while Ian Abbey and Ciaran Dalton were also picked to the All-Freshman squad.
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 rank third in the NCAA with 13 goals through 18 games this season. He also ranks first in shots on goal per game (2.05) and fifth in total points (31).
In the Big Ten, Myers paces the league in four of six offensive categories including: goals (13), points (31), shots (64) and shots on goal (39).
The senior forward is the only player in the league to reach 10+ goals, leading the runner up by five scores. He is also the only striker to hit the 30-point mark, leading the second-most points getter by 14.
Through 18 games this fall, Myers has found the back of the net in 10 contests, and recorded points in 12 outings.
Myers picked up Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors (Oct. 27) and cracked the top-25 in the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Rankings at No. 24.
With the Big Ten Tournament championship ahead of him, Myers has already solidified himself in the record books. His 30 points ranks tied for 16th all-time while his 13 goals are tied for 13th in a single season. He is also the first Scarlet Knight to reach the 31-point milestone in a single season since Jason Wright ended the 2015 season with 31 points.
Looking Around The League
In the final Big Ten standing, RU finished tied for second place with Ohio State as both teams accumulated 14 points and ended with a 4-2-2 conference record. Maryland finished in first place with 16 points and a 2-0-2 mark in the league.
B1G Time
As a team, Rutgers finished the regular season leading the Big Ten in several categories including: goals (37), shots (246), assists (40) and points (114).
The team currently paces the league in five of six offensive categories as Myers tops the stats in goals (13), points (31), shots (64) in addition to shots on goal (39) and Jason Bouregy tops the league with eight assists.
Spreading the Love
Through 18 games, the Scarlet Knights have seen 13 unique goal scorers for a conference-best 39 goals and 121 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) Matthew Acosta (1) and Chris Tiao (1) have all also added goals for the Scarlet Knights.
With 121 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.
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 seven wins while Abbey recorded back-to-back game winning goals against Michigan (Oct. 21) and Penn State (Oct. 25). Cruthers added a goal against Northwestern (Sept. 27) and has started 16 of 18 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.
Last Time Against Indiana
Rutgers came back to tie Indiana, 2-2, when the teams met in early October during the regular season. The contest, played at Yurcak Field, featured four first half goals.
The Hoosiers struck first in the third minute before MD Myers tied the score just moments later in the eighth minute of play.
8' | 🔟‼️
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 9, 2022
MD Myers tallies the equalizer and his league-leading 10th goal of the season👏
Rutgers 1, Indiana 1
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📊 https://t.co/jafaxj16Z5#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/YMKUkVTeia
Indiana once again took the lead in the 15th minute before Pablo Avila found the back of the net for the equalizer in the 29th minute.
29' | AVILAAAAAAAAA‼️
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 9, 2022
Pablo Avila ties it up for the Scarlet Knights once again.
Rutgers 2, Indiana 2
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📻 https://t.co/dDY6dSWNuV
📊 https://t.co/jafaxj16Z5#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/NcKMhkfks7
Scouting the Hoosiers
No. 4 seed Indiana defeated the No. 6-ranked team in the nation in Maryland, 2-1, in the Big Ten semifinals. Sunday's match will be the Hoosier's sixth straight Big Ten final. IU is 3-2 in the previous five, winning three straight as part of three consecutive Big Ten Championship doubles from 2018-20. Indiana is also undefeated in their last five matches.
Ohio State, the No. 3 seed and ranked No. 18 nationally, defeated No. 6 Michigan State, 1-0, in the quarterfinals to advance in the tournament. Ohio State entered postseason competition at 9-2-5 overall, the most wins since the 2015 team posted a 13-7-3 overall record. Ohio State's regular-season record (9-2-5) is tied for the best in program history in terms of fewest losses. The Buckeyes tied the previous best regular-season record (7-2-0) posted by the 1967 Buckeyes. The 2022 record of 9-2-5 also is the best in the Big Ten era (1991-present). Previously, the 2007 teams had the fewest losses in a season at 17-4-5.
Daniel Munie repeated as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year to lead a pack of six Hoosiers to earn a Big Ten postseason award. Munie also earned a first-team All-Big Ten selection alongside a fellow redshirt senior, forward Ryan Wittenbrink. In addition, Herbert Endeley and Tommy Mihalic each earned second-team laurels while Jack Wagoner placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
The Hoosiers own the 3-10-3 edge over the Scarlet Knights in the all-time series. Last season, RU defeated Indiana (2-1) for their first win over the opponent in five seasons.
Looking Ahead
Following the Big Ten Championship, Rutgers will await their postseason fate. The NCAA Championship bracket and 48-team field will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. on the Selection show. Sixteen single-elimination first-round games will take place at campus sites on Thursday, Nov. 17.
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.
