Rutgers University
UPenn
Men's Soccer Opens NCAA Tournament at Penn
Nov 16 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After winning its first Big Ten Championship in program history, the Rutgers men's soccer team (10-4-6) will travel to Penn (12-2-2) for the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament on Thurs., Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
🎟️ punched! See ya in Philly #NCAASoccer #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/b785CvNdJI
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 14, 2022
The Historic Season Continues
The Big Ten championship win is not only the first for the program but the first in any men's sports at Rutgers. It is also the third Big Ten Championship for the Scarlet Knights since joining the conference.
A new piece of hardware has found its home in New Jersey 🏆#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/Vb133G7LGV
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 13, 2022
Thursday's trip to Penn will be the program's 18th to the NCAA Tournament and first since 2015.
Last Time Out
Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 win over Indiana to claim its first Big Ten Tournament Championship in program history. Ola Maeland scored the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute to capture the victory.
Matthew Acosta kicked off scoring for Rutgers with an early goal in the fourth minute of play. MD Myers and Jackson Temple were credited with assists. Freshman goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton earned his eighth win of the season with four saves against the Hoosiers.
Another look at the goal that started it all in the #B1GMSOC Championship 🤩#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/DtqeU1rojo
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 15, 2022
In the 38th minute, Indiana found the equalizer to go into the locker room tied, 1-all.
Less than 10 minutes out of halftime, Ola Maeland scored an impressive olimpico goal off his corner kick attempt. The goal stood the to be ultimate game-winner.
POV: you score the game-winner AND it's an olimpico goal AND you earn the first Big Ten Championship in program history AND you clinch an NCAA Tournament berth.
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 13, 2022
Not a bad Sunday 🤩#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/J5hHkkGLKL
Just minutes before the end of regulation, Ian Abbey added an insurance goal to solidify the win for RU off a cross from Myers, his second helper of the day.
85' | IAN ABBEY SCORES‼️
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) November 13, 2022
The Big Ten All-Freshman extends Rutgers lead, 3-1👏
📺 https://t.co/O4WwulMmrl (@BigTenNetwork)
📊 https://t.co/TI6g1NDOyb#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/FMU1fHQchQ
All-Tournament Team
The Scarlet Knights also dominated the Big Ten All-Tournament team. MD Myers earned Offensive Player of the Tournament while Hugo Le Guennec was named Defensive Player of the Tournament.
Chria Tiao, Jackson Temple and Ciaran Dalton were also selected to the All-Tournament Team.
The Awards Go To...
Rutgers pulled in a program-best eight Big Ten All-Conference 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.
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 ranked third in the NCAA with 13 goals through 20 games this season. He also ranks first in shots on goal per game (2.00) and fifth in total points (33).
In the Big Ten, Myers paced the league in four of six offensive categories to end the season including: goals (13), points (33), shots (67) and shots on goal (40).
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 16.
Through 20 games this fall, Myers has found the back of the net in 10 contests, and recorded points in 13 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 as well as his B1G Tournament honors.
With the NCAA Tournament ahead of him, Myers has already solidified himself in the record books. His 30 points ranks tied for 13th all-time while his 13 goals are tied for 13th in a single season. He is also the first Scarlet Knight to reach at least 33 in a single season since 2003.
B1G Time
As a team, Rutgers ended Big Ten play leading the league in several categories including: goals (42), shots (284), assists (46) and points (130).
The team currently paces the league in five of six offensive categories as Myers tops the stats in goals (13), points (33), shots (67) in addition to shots on goal (40) while Jackson Temple and Jason Bouregy top the league with eight assists.
Spreading the Love
Through 20 games, the Scarlet Knights have seen 13 unique goal scorers for a conference-best 42 goals and 130 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 (3), Ola Maeland (3), Hugo Le Guennec (2), Matthew Acosta (2), Bryan Keating (1), Cole Cruthers (1), Joey Zalinsky (1), Tommy DeVizio (1) and Chris Tiao (1) have all also added goals for the Scarlet Knights.
With 130 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.
Scouting the Quakers
Penn clinched its first Ivy League title since 2013 with a 3-0 win over Princeton this past weekend. The team reached 12 wins for just the sixth time in program history.
The Quakers earned eight All-Ivy League postseason awards led by Stas Korzeniowski (Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year), Leo Burney (Defensive Player of the Year) and James C. Gentle Head Coach Brian Gill (Coach of the Year).
Penn owns the 8-10-1 edge in the all-time series between the two programs. However, Rutgers has not dropped a contest to the opposition since 2002 and has instead in that span picked up four wins and one draw. The two teams last met in 2021, when RU came out on top at home, 1-0.
Looking Ahead
The winner of the NCAA first round match-up will head to No. 3 Syracuse on Sunday, Nov. 20 for a 2 p.m. second round contest.
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.
