Acosta, Bouregy and Zalinsky Named Big Ten Men's Soccer Players to Watch
Aug 21 | Men's Soccer
ROSEMONT, Ill. ā The Big Ten announced its 2023 men's soccer preseason honors Monday afternoon, namingĀ Matthew Acosta,Ā Jason BouregyĀ andĀ Joey ZalinskyĀ as Players to Watch. The 2022 Big Ten Tournament Champions were also picked to finish fourth in the conference standings.Ā Ā Ā
.@B1GSoccer Players to š
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 21, 2023
š°: https://t.co/Q4O3vdymjP#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/gAJ1rZgTrI
This marks the second consecutive season Acosta has been chosen as a Big Ten Player to Watch, following an outstanding sophomore season. He started all 21 games of the 2022 campaign and led the team with 1,742 minutes played. The Annandale, New Jersey product also scored two goals in the final month of the season against both Penn State (Oct. 25) and Indiana (Nov. 13) in the Big Ten Tournament Championship. In addition, Acosta added three assists for seven total points.
An All-Big Ten and ECAC Second Team pick, Bouregy enjoyed a breakout year last fall. Playing in 20 games and making 16 starts, the senior netted three goals in 2022, including back-to-back Big Ten game-winners versus Northwestern (Sept. 17) and Wisconsin (Sept. 23). He also added eight assists, which tied to pace the team and ranked second in the Big Ten. The Paramus, New Jersey native ended the seasonĀ with 14 points to rank third for RU. Ā
Zalinsky was another Scarlet Knight who boasted an impressive sophomore year as one of the most important pieces of the Rutgers' defensive unit. He started all 19 games he was available for and played the entire contest all but twice, ranking second on the team with 1,695 minutes. The Brick, New Jersey product scored his first career goal against Creighton (Aug. 28) on his only shot on frame all season. Zalinsky also added an assist at Penn State (Oct. 25) to end the season with the first 3 points of his career. Ā
All three Scarlet Knights were also 2022 Fall Academic All-Big Ten selections. Ā
Rutgers returns 22 players from its 2022 Big Ten Tournament title team including two graduate students, Jackson Temple and Chris Tiao. Jim McElderry also returns for his fifth season at the helm of the Scarlet Knights, along with his staff who was named United Soccer Coaches North Region Staff of the Year. Ā
The Scarlet Knights will begin the 2023 fall slate on the road at Delaware on Thursday, Aug. 24 (7 p.m.) before playing their home opener at Yurcak Field against St. John's on Monday, Aug. 28 (7:30 p.m.). Ā
2023 Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
- MarylandĀ
- IndianaĀ
- Ohio StateĀ
- RutgersĀ
- Penn StateĀ
- WisconsinĀ
- Michigan StateĀ
- NorthwesternĀ
- MichiganĀ
2023 Big Ten Players to Watch
Patrick McDonald, Jr., M, IndianaĀ
Collins Oduro, Fr., F, IndianaĀ
Sam Sarver, Jr., F, IndianaĀ
Stefan Copetti, Sr., F, MarylandĀ
Alex Nitzl, Sr., D/M, MarylandĀ
Bjarne Thiesen, Gr., D, MarylandĀ
Bryce Blevins, Sr., M, MichiganĀ
Jason Bucknor, Jr., D, MichiganĀ
Louis Rogers, Sr., M, MichiganĀ
Ugo Achara, Gr., F, NorthwesternĀ
Jason Gajadhar, So., M, NorthwesternĀ
Justin Weiss, Sr., F, NorthwesternĀ
Greyson Mercer, Sr., F, Michigan StateĀ
Jake Spadafora, So., F, Michigan StateĀ
Jonathan Stout, So., M, Michigan StateĀ
Anthony Samways, Jr., D, Ohio StateĀ
Deylen Vellios, Sr., D, Ohio StateĀ
Laurence Wootton, Sr., M, Ohio StateĀ
Femi Awodesu, Sr., D, Penn StateĀ
Peter Mangione, Sr., M, Penn StateĀ
Kris Shakes, Gr., GK, Penn StateĀ
Matthew Acosta, Jr., M, RutgersĀ
Jason Bouregy, Sr., F, RutgersĀ
Joey Zalinsky, Jr., D, RutgersĀ
Tim Bielic, Gr., M, WisconsinĀ
Nate Crockford, Jr., GK, WisconsinĀ
Maxwell Keenan, Sr., M, WisconsinĀ
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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 theĀ Gameday App.Ā Ā Ā
