Men's Soccer to Open Big Ten Play Against Northwestern
Sep 16 | Men's Soccer
Rutgers will welcome Northwestern to Yurcak Field to open conference competition on Sept. 17 for a 7 p.m. contest
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's soccer team (3-1-2) will host Northwestern (1-3-2) to open Big Ten play on Saturday, Sept. 17. The contest will be held at Yurcak Field for a 7 p.m. start.
The contest will end a five game home stand for the Scarlet Knights.
Last Time Out
With the most goals in a game since 2017, Rutgers earned a dominant win over a dominant 5-1 win over UAlbany (1-3-2) on Tuesday. Sept. 13. All five goals came in the second half, as Jackson Temple found the back of the net twice before MD Myers, Ola Maeland and Bryan Keating tacked on scores. Three goal-scorers also aided in other goals, as Temple (2), Myers and Maeland recorded assists.
The Scarlet Knights have now stayed unbeaten through their most recent four games, tying Princeton on Sept. 2 (1-1) and Yale on the 5th (2-2) but defeating Rider on the 9th (2-1).
Rollllll those highlights ⏭️#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/uY93gBHi5T
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) September 14, 2022
Stakiwics Elevated
After six seasons with the Rutgers men's soccer team, Tyler Stakiwicz has been elevated to associate head coach. Stakiwicz will continue his work, leading the Scarlet Knights goalkeeper unit. He joins fellow associate head coach Gavin Wyse in the role.
"Tyler is one of the best young coaches in the country," head coach Jim McElderry said. "Since my arrival at RU, 'Staks' has been invaluable in training, on the recruiting trails and helping to set a winning culture at Rutgers. Staks is connected in the youth ranks throughout the country and has worked as youth soccer coach at PDA, MLS Next Club, for the past seven years. After leading the U17 team to the national final, he was recently named PDA Boys Academy Director. I feel fortunate to have him committed to Rutgers for 2022 and years to come."
𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨!
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) September 12, 2022
After six seasons on the sideline for the Scarlet Knights, Tyler Stakiwicz has been elevated to Associate Head Coach 👏
📰: https://t.co/P1oQ4Qc8Up#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/4YmKd0i9pC
Spreading the Love
Through six outings, the Scarlet Knights have seen eight unique goal scorers for a total of 15 goals.
MD Myers leads the pack with six scores after securing braces against Omaha (Aug. 25) and Yale (Sept. 5) in addition to one-goal outings against Rider (Sept. 9) and UAlbany (Sept. 13). Pablo Avila, Jackson Temple, Ian Abbey, Joey Zalinsky, Jason Bouregy, Ola Maeland and Bryan Keating have also added goals for RU.
B1G Time
Since arriving in Piscataway, New Jersey in the offseason from High Point, MD Myers has made a big impact at both Rutgers and in the Big Ten.
The senior forward paces the conference in four categories including: goals (6), shots (25), shots on goal (14) and points (14). His nine shots against Yale also tops the conference as well as his pair of two-goal outings.
Jackson Temple also currently paces the Big Ten with four assists.
Welcoming the Newcomers
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 already made an impact on the team this season. Dalton tops the goalkeepers with four starts and nine saves while Abbey has recorded one goal and made two starts. Cruthers has started five contests so far, playing 380 minutes.
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.
One Last Go
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 Wildcats
Northwestern picked up its first win of the season against Houston Baptist on Sept. 12, 2-1. Prior to the victory, the Wildcats had been without a win through their first five games, dropping two in a row to Villanova (0-4) and Western Michigan (0-3).
Rutgers and Northwestern are tied in its all-time series, 5-5, although RU has won the last two contests (April 4, 2021 and Oct. 15, 2021).
On the Schedule
The team will get comfortable playing in front of a home crowd at Yurcak this season, with 11 home games. Rutgers will play six road games, including two nonconference and four Big Ten matches.
After opening the season with a pair of games in Nebraska, the Scarlet Knights will enjoy a five-game homestand, starting with Princeton, before traveling to Wisconsin on Sept. 23.
Rutgers will get one more three-game stretch at home to start off the month of October before trading home-away games to end the 2022 regular season.
Looking Ahead
For the first time since the end of August, Rutgers will play its first road game at Wisconsin on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
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.
