EVANSTON, Ill. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (3-6-2, 1-2-2 B1G) dropped a hard-fought decision to No. 12 Northwestern (9-0-3, 3-0-1 B1G) on Sunday afternoon, 2-0.
Although the score remained 0-0 at halftime, both teams played aggressively on offense, generating multiple opportunities. In the first 45 minutes of play, the Scarlet Knights led the way in shots, 10-7, and both teams were tied with two shots on goal.
Northwestern created two close opportunities in the final moments before the break, but Ciaran Dalton and the backline stood strong, keeping the contest scoreless.
Out of the locker room, the team remained evenly matched, both playing strong defense. However, in the 79th minute, the Wildcats broke through with a score to take the 1-0 lead. In the final moments of the contest, the opponent tacked on another goal to end the contest with a 2-0 win.
Goals
79' | (NU) Ugo Achara – Jayvin Van Deventer and Justin Weiss
87' | (NU) Jayvin Van Deventer – unassisted
Game Notes
- Dalton continues to lead the goalkeeper unit with 34 saves. He has recorded 3+ saves in seven outings this season.
- Rutgers led Northwestern in shots, 19-18, but fell short in shots on goal, 4-7. The teams matched eachother in corners, 6-6.
- Ola Maeland led the Scralet Knights with five shots while Curt Calov followed closely behind with four attempts.
- NU has not dropped a contest this season and remains at the top of the Big Ten standings.
- The freshmen continued to show out as Nick Collins and Devon Stopek earned starts against the Wildcats on the backline. Erick Ruiz, Francesco Di Ponzio and Luciano Sanchez also entered the game off the bench, playing big minutes for the Scarlet Knights. The group of five rookies have already collectively played 2,109 minutes on the pitch and combined for 22 starts.
- Collins and Joey Zalinsky played all 90 minutes of the match on Sunday afternoon.
- Rutgers and Northwestern are now tied up in the all-time series, after Sunday's decision, 6-6. The Scarlet Knights are now 3-2 playing in Evanston, Illinois.
Looking Ahead
In its second Friday Knight Lights of the slate on Oct. 13, Rutgers will go up against Wisconsin (6 p.m.) for its Alumni and Blackout game. In addition to welcoming back letterwinners from multiple generations, the team is encouraging everyone to wear black at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights will once again honor New Jersey Youth Soccer during the contest and give out Rutgers Soccer thunder sticks.
The contest will be broadcast live nationally on the Big Ten Network.
Follow Along
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