PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (4-1-2, 1-0-0) opened Big Ten play with a 4-2 win over Northwestern (1-4-2, 0-1-0) on Saturday night at Yurcak Field. Cole Cruthers and Hugo Le Guennec recorded the first scores of their careers while Jason Bouregy and Jackson Temple also added goals. Goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe also made five saves in net.
The Scarlet Knights have now stayed unbeaten through its last five games, dating back to Sept. 2 with a 1-1 draw against Princeton.
Rutgers didn't waste any time getting on the board as Bouregy found Cruthers for the first score of the night in the second minute of play to give his team an early 1-0 edge.
Northwestern answered with the equalizer in the 20th minute. The tie didn't last for long though, as Temple found the back of the net to put the Scarlet Knights back on top, 2-1.
In the 50th minute Le Guennec played a through ball to Bouregy for a goal of his own, adding to RU's lead, 3-1.
Shortly after in the 65th minute of play, Ola Maeland crossed the ball and found Le Guennec for a highlight-worthy score to keep Rutgers ahead, 4-1.
Before the end of regulation, the Wildcats found the net one last time to end the contest with a final score of 4-2.
Goals
2' (RU) Cole Cruthers (1) – Jason Bouregy
20' (NU) Ethan Dudley – Andrew Stevens, Colin McCamy
37' (RU) Jackson Temple (4) – unassisted
50' (RU) Jason Bouregy (2) – Hugo Le Guennec
65' (RU) Hugo Le Guennec (1) – Ola Maeland
78' (NU) Eric Smits (1) – Andrew Stevens, Vicente Castro
Game Notes
- Rutgers has now scored four or more goals in a single outing three times this season. The team also tallied four on Omaha (Aug. 25) and five against UAlbany (Sept. 13).
- This is the second straight campaign the Scarlet Knights have opening Big Ten play with a win, as the team defeated Indiana last season (2-1) to kick off conference competition.
- With the win, RU took the lead in the all-time series against the Wildcats, 6-5.
- Rutgers outshot Northwestern 23-11 on Saturday night. The team has now taken 20+ shots in three contests, taking 20 attempts against Yale (Sept. 5) and 25 versus UAlbany.
- Both Cruthers and Le Guennec scored their first career goals against the Wildcats. Le Guennec's assist also marks the first of his career.
- With four assists, Maeland is tied with Temple for first on the team. The junior forward has earned helpers in the last two games.
- Bouregy and Le Guennec earned both an assist and a goal in the contest.
- The Scarlet Knights have now seen 10 unique goal scorers through seven games. Myers (6), Temple (4) and Bouregy (2) all have multiple goals.
- 18 Scarlet Knights saw the pitch on Saturday night. Briscoe, Cruthers, Le Guennec, DeVizio and Sotack played the entire 90 minutes.
Looking Ahead
For the first time since the end of August, Rutgers will travel to Wisconsin on Sept. 23 for an 8 p.m. contest.
Follow Along
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