Men's Soccer Dominates in Season Opener

Thursday, August 22

Piscataway, N.J.

7 p.m.

Rutgers University

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Northeastern

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Northeastern

Rutgers

Photo by: Colin Noftsier

Aug 22 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (1-0) defeated Northeastern (0-1) 3-1 in the 2024 season opener at Yurcak Field. Curt Calov recorded his first brace "On The Banks" while Nico Rosamilia added an insurance goal in the win.

Calov's scores both came in the first 10 minutes of play, giving RU a comfortable lead.

3' | Well that didn't take long for Curt Calov ‼️

Rutgers 1, Northeastern 0

📺 @BigTenPlus
📊https://t.co/OMO4CzYgDL #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/rku6NbEtO3
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 22, 2024

8' | WHAT A START FOR CALOV! That's two goals in just five minutes 👏

Rutgers 2, Northeastern 0

📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/OMO4CzYgDL #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/ZtPgZdBDLr
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 22, 2024

Although the Huskies did find the back of the net in the final moments of the opening half, the Scarlet Knights didn't let up. 10 minutes after the break, Rosamilia capitalized on a long ball from Joey Zalinsky and some help from Scott Godden for RU's third goal of the night.

55' | An absolute BEAUT from Nico Rosamilia 😍

Rutgers 3, Northeastern 1

📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/OMO4CzYgDL #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/J6gcdJf6Q5
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 23, 2024

In addition, goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton secured four saves, his highest total in a season opener.

Goals

3' (RU) Curt Calov – Joey Zalinsky
8' (RU) Curt Calov – Ola Maeland
40' | (NU) Sebastian Restrepo – unassisted
55' | (RU) Nico Rosamilia – Scott Godden & Joey Zalinsky

Gallery: (8-22-2024) Rutgers Men's Soccer vs. Northeastern

Game Notes

Calov's brace marks the second of his career and his first as a Scarlet Knight. He also accomplished the feat as a freshman at Syracuse in 2021 against Binghamton.
Rosamilia's score is his first since his freshman season in 2021 and the fourth of his career.
Zalinsky's two assists mark the first of his career. It is also his second multi-point game as he also found the back of the net versus Creighton in 2022.
Scott Godden's helper on Rosamilia's goal signified the first points of his career in his first start.
In addition to Godden, freshman Arnar Adalsteinsson also earned his first start for Rutgers against Northeastern. Other rookies in Lenny Aviles, Dylan Carlson, Lenny Aviles, Matty Lynch, Thomas Angelone and Kristófer Arnarsson also got on the pitch for the first time in their collegiate careers.
RU owned the advantage in both shots (14-13) and shots on goal (8-5).
Head coach Jim McElderry has now led Rutgers to victory in five of his six season openers. The 3-1 decision is tied for the highest differential and the most goals since the 4-2 over Omaha in 2022.
With the win, the Scarlet Knights stay undefeated against the Huskies with a 1-0-1 all-time record.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers will continue its three-match homestand, welcoming Delaware on Monday, Aug. 26 and Princeton on Friday, Aug. 30. Both games will start at 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field. Tickets are free for all fans.

Follow Along

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 the Gameday App.