PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Head coach Jim McElderry released the 2023 Rutgers men's soccer fall schedule Thursday afternoon. The slate features 15 total matches including eight home matches to be played at Yurcak Field.
Rutgers will look to defend its 2022 Big Ten Tournament title, after the team defeated Indiana in the title game last season, 3-1. The Tournament Championship marked the first in program history as well as the first conference title since 1997. The victory also punched the team's ticket to the 2022 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and the first trip under McElderry.
Prior to the official start of the 2023 fall, the Scarlet Knights will host three scrimmages throughout the month of August. The team will see action against Drexel (Sunday, Aug. 12), Rider (Tuesday, Aug. 15) and Villanova (Saturday, Aug. 19). All three scrimmages are set to begin at 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field.
For the second consecutive year, the Scarlet Knights will begin their campaign on the road, traveling to Delaware on Thursday, Aug. 24 for a 7 p.m. game. The team also kicked off the 2021 season against the Blue Hens, coming out with a 2-0 victory.
RU's next three matches feature close by opponents from New Jersey and New York. In the first meeting since 2012, Rutgers will welcome St. John's in its home opener on Monday, Aug. 28 (7:30 p.m.) before traveling to face rival Princeton on Friday, Sept. 1 (7 p.m.) in the programs' 62nd all-time meeting. Then three days later, the team will host Saint Peter's on Monday, Sept. 4 for another 7 p.m. kickoff.
From there, the Scarlet Knights will fly out to the west coast to meet UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 9. The game time will be 7 p.m. ET.
The squad will return to Piscataway for a pair of consecutive home matches, starting off against Columbia on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. In their Big Ten opener, RU will then host Michigan State on Sept. 17 in their only Sunday matinee of the season, with a 2 p.m. start.
Rutgers will continue into conference play, traveling to Michigan on Friday, Sept. 22 before coming home to play Ohio State in a Big Ten Tournament Semifinals rematch on Friday, Sept. 29. Both games will begin at 7 p.m.
The team will then embark on two Big Ten road contests in a row, taking their talents to Maryland on Tuesday, Oct. 3 (7 p.m.) and Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 8 (1 p.m.).
The Scarlet Knights will finish out the month of October with five matches, starting at home against Wisconsin on Friday, Oct. 13 and Penn State on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Both contests will begin at 7 p.m. The team will then hit the road for their last nonconference contest at Northeastern on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.
Finally, to finish off the regular season, Rutgers will travel to face Indiana on the road in a rematch of the Big Ten Tournament Championship. The game is set to begin at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29.
The 2023 Big Ten Tournament has been set for the first three weeks of November. The Quarterfinals will be on Friday, Nov. 1 followed by the Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 8 and the Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Admission to Yurcak Field is free for all home games. A parking registration link will be available closer to the start of the season.
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