PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The No. 2-seeded Rutgers men's soccer team (8-4-6) will host No. 3 seed and No. 18 ranked Ohio State (10-2-5) on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Yurcak Field for a 6 p.m. game airing live on Big Ten Network.
RUTGERS NATION
Rutgers is excited to welcome students, faculty and staff in addition to members of the community to Yurcak Field on Wednesday night. The team also welcomes the newly-named student section, The Cavalry, to the contest.
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.
Friday night's contest marks the first Big Ten semifinal for Rutgers since 2015, when the Scarlet Knights fell to Ohio State 4-0. That same year, RU advanced to their most recent NCAA Tournament making it to the second round. Rutgers is playing for its first berth in the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Last Time Out
Rutgers advanced from the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, defeating 7-seed Wisconsin, 5-4, in a penalty shooting following a double-overtime scoreless draw.
Pablo Avila, Thomas DeVizio, MD Myers, Matthew Acosta and Jackson Temple all buried their attempts while goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton made a clutch stop on Wisconsin's second attempt to send RU to the next round. The Rutgers defense allowed just two shots on target through 120 minutes of action, both of which were turned away by Dalton.
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.
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 (2.06) and third in total points (30).
In the Big Ten, Myers paces the league in four of six offensive categories including: goals (13), points (30), shots (60) and shots on goal (37).
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 eight.
Through 18 games this fall, Myers has found the back of the net in 10 contests, including six of the last nine. He has also recorded points in 11 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 semifinals ahead of him, 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.
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 Scarlet Knights are the only team in the league to reach triple digits in points.
The team also paces the league in five of six offensive categories as Myers tops the stats in goals (13), points (30), shots (58) in addition to shots on goal (35) and Jason Bouregy tops the league with eight assists.
Spreading the Love
Through 17 games, the Scarlet Knights have seen 12 unique goal scorers for a conference-best 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.
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 14 of 16 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 Ohio State
Rutgers drew with then-No. 11 Ohio State, 2-2, in Columbus on Sept. 30 in one of the most thrilling finishes in college soccer this season. Trailing 2-1 and with just two seconds remaining in the contest, Rutgers' Thomas DeVizio scored his first goal of the season to tie the game and earn a point against the Buckeyes.
MD Myers scored the opener in the 32nd minute before Ohio State went ahead 2-1 with an equalizer just before half in the 45th minute and the go-ahead goal in the 54th.
Scouting the Buckeyes
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.
Ohio State was well represented in the All-Conference Awards in 2022. Junior Laurence Wootton (Midfielder of the Year) and senior Keagan McLaughlin (Goalkeeper of the Year) also garnered First Team All-Big Ten honors. Senior Xavier Green and sophomore Anthony Samways were named Second Team All-Big Ten by the league coaches. Rookies Tanner Creech and Luciano Pechota (unanimous) earned spots on the All-Freshman team while senior Brayden Durbin was named Ohio State's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
The Buckeyes are 2-0 in league tournament play vs. the Scarlet Knights. Ohio State defeated Rutgers 4-0 in 2015 and 1-0 in 2019 in BTT competition. The Buckeyes are 11-22-2 away from Columbus in conference tournament play.
Looking Ahead
The winner of the Rutgers vs. Ohio State matchup will go onto face the winner of No. 1 Maryland and No. 4 Indiana on Sun., Nov. 13. The game will take place at the highest remaining seed and be televised nationally on Big Ten Network at noon.
Follow Along
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