COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (3-5-2, 1-1-2 B1G) defeated Maryland (1-6-2, 0-4-1 B1G) on Tuesday night, 2-1, for the program's first-ever win on the road at Ludwig Field. Ola Maeland and Ian Abbey scored for the Scarlet Knights while Ciaran Dalton held it down in goal, recording 10 saves for a career-high performance.
Maeland got things going for the Scarlet Knights in the seventh minute, as he got his own rebound off the post for the first goal of the night.
Then in the 19th minute, Abbey followed up with another score off the rebound from a hard shot by Matthew Acosta, to give RU the 2-0 edge.
Maryland cut the lead in half with a goal just before halftime in the 32nd minute, making the score 2-1.
In the 62nd minute, RU successfully defended a Terrapins penalty kick that went wide of the goal to hold onto the one-goal advantage. Rutgers went to a five-man formation on the backline to finish out the game with a strong defensive performance. Dalton remained solid in net, allowing no goals in the second half and securing three saves in the final 25 minutes to help clinch the 2-1 victory.
Goals
7' | (RU) Ola Maeland – unassisted
19' | (RU) Ian Abbey – Matthew Acosta
32' | (UMD) Max Riley – Colin Griffith and Alex Nitzl
Game Notes
- Dalton's 10 saves pass his previous career best of seven, which he recorded twice during his rookie year last season against both Ohio State (Sept. 30) and Penn State (Oct. 25). The double-digit save total is the highest by any goalkeeper in the Big Ten so far this fall.
- Maeland's goal was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. He has now scored at least one goal in all four years "On The Banks."
- The score by Abbey marks his second of the year and sixth of his collegiate career. He found the back of the net earlier this season against Saint Peter's (Sept. 4) for his first points of the fall.
- Abbey is now tied with Luciano Sanchez for second on the squad with two goals and five points.
- The freshmen continued to show out as Nick Collins, Devon Stopek and Sanchez earned starts against the Terrapins. Erick Ruiz and Francesco Di Ponzio also entered the game off the bench, playing big minutes for the Scarlet Knights. The group of five rookies have already collectively played 1,903 minutes on the pitch and combined for 20 starts.
- As Rutgers defended Maryland's penalty kick attempt in the 62nd minute, the Terps are now 0-4 on PK's this slate.
- The 2-1 win marks the first one-goal victory for the Scarlet Knights this season. They are now 1-3 in single score outings.
- UMD registered a season-high 20 shots on Tuesday night which is also the most RU has allowed this campaign.
- The 2-1 win at Ludwig Field is the first in program history for Rutgers on the road at Maryland since their first meeting in 1960. The Scarlet Knights had previously tied the Terrapins in their last two appearances at Ludwig but dropped the previous seven. The victory also signifies the third for RU over UMD in program history.
- Rutgers has now reached a season-high two goals in six outings this season.
- Acosta and Joey Zalinsky played all 90 minutes of the match.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will keep its road trip going as they travel to take on first-place Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. ET.
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