PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (1-1) will finish out its three-match homestand on Friday, Aug. 30 against Princeton (0-0) at Yurcak Field. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. and admission is free for all fans.
The match will be streamed on B1G+ and you can listen live on WRSU.
Last Time Out
Despite an unrelenting offensive effort, the Scarlet Knights fell to Delaware (2-0), 4-1, on Monday night at Yurcak Field.
The game started off balanced, until Joey Zalinsky broke through to score the first goal of the match in the 37th minute, marking just the second score of his career.
Just five minutes into the second half, the contest entered a 30-minute weather delay. After resuming play, the Blue Hens found the back of the net four times to claim the victory.
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
RU captain Joey Zalinsky was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week coming off the first two games of the season. In 173 combined minutes, the senior recorded four points.
The weekly honor is the first of Zalinsky's career and the team's first since Ciaran Dalton was selected last season (10/10).
The Brick, New Jersey native recorded two assists in the season opening 3-1 win over Northeastern (8/22), the first helpers of his career. The effort also marks his first multi-point contest since 2022 when he scored against Creighton.
Zalinsky followed up with another strong performance against Delaware (8/26), netting the second goal of his career. He now has six career points and has tallied points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
2024 Promotions
On Friday, RU will celebrate First Year Friday and the Youth Soccer Kickoff. The team will invite freshmen to the game in addition to youth soccer teams from around New Jersey.
2024 Team Captains
At the start of preseason, head coach Jim McElderry named the captains for the 2024 fall season. Joey Zalinsky was selected for the honor for the second season in a row in addition to fellow senior Aidan Flynn and junior Cole Cruthers.
"Being a captain for the second season in a row means a lot," said Zalinsky. "It shows that I am more than just a leader. I am able to help this team win and help my teammates on and off the field."
Flynn, a four-year defender for the Scarlet Knights, has seen the team evolve and thrive during his tenure "On The Banks." Now he is excited to help lead and encourage that growth.
"It's a really great opportunity," Flynn said. "I am so fortunate to have been able to be here all four years and have gone through the progression. The culture has grown and every year we have become more of a family and a collective. It has been so nice to see, and I am excited to help lead that."
Although Cruthers is the youngest of the group, he is excited for what he can bring to the table. The 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year is poised for a great season on the pitch but is also ready to pass on what he has learned from his time at the collegiate level.
"It's a lot of responsibility but it's a position I have been in before," Cruthers said. "I am excited to be able to help some of the younger guys like the older guys have helped me. It's really an honor."
All three will don the captain arm band this season and are excited to bring RU to new heights.
The Returners
The Scarlet Knights return a solid 17 student-athletes to the 2024 roster. This includes three of the top five goal scorers in Ola Maeland, Curt Calov and Ian Abbey. The three combined for 10 goals.
The team also returns some core members of their defense including Joey Zalinsky, Big Ten All-Freshman honoree Nicholas Collins, Erick Ruiz and Devon Stopek.
In addition, goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton comes back for his junior season after posting four wins, 53 saves and one shutout in 14 matches in 2023.
Introducing the Freshmen
Going into his sixth season, McElderry and his staff welcomed 11 freshmen during the offseason, tied for the biggest recruiting class since 2019.
The class is comprised of four international student-athletes: Kristófer Arnarsson (Grafarvogur, Iceland), Anthony Morano (Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada), Scott Godden (Leeds, England) and Arnar Adalsteinsson (Kopavogur, Iceland).
The remaining seven rookies are from the east coast, including six from New Jersey: Graham Kois (Scotch Plains, N.J.), Matty Lynch (Chesterfield, N.J.), Eddie Krupski (Clark, N.J.), Illia Tyrkus (Bridgewater, N.J.), Dylan Carlson (Sayreville, N.J.), Lenny Aviles (East Windsor, N.J.) and Thomas Angelone (Boston, Mass.).
Through two already games this slate Adalsteinsson, Godden and Carlson have all earned starts. Five others have also seen time on the pitch.
Nonconference Schedule
The Scarlet Knights will face seven nonconference opponents before diving into Big Ten play.
In addition to already going up against Northeastern and Delaware, the team has still to face Princeton and Seton Hall at home. They will also travel to take on Lehigh, Providence and Yale.
While multiple teams made runs in their respective conference tournaments, Yale won the Ivy League and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
B1G Updates
With the official expansion of the Big Ten over the summer, Rutgers will face two new faces in UCLA and Washington.
RU will post the Bruins in Piscataway for the first time as a member of the league on Friday, Oct. 18 (7 p.m.). The teams renewed their historic rivalry with matches in 2022 and 2023. UCLA picked up victories in both meetings.
The Scarlet Knights will travel to face the Huskies on Friday Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. ET. It will be just the fifth meeting between the two programs and the first since 1998.
Scouting the Tigers
Friday night's game will be the first match of the 2024 season for Princeton.
Last campaign, the team finished with a 4-8-3, going 1-4-2 in the Ivy League. The Tigers returned one of their top offensive threats in Daniel Ittycheria. He led Princeton with nine goals and one assist for 19 points in 2023.
Rutgers has tied or won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two teams. However, Princeton still owns the 22-30-10 all-time edge.
Up Next
Rutgers will round out its three-match homestand to open the season, welcoming Princeton on Friday, Aug. 30. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field and admission is always 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.
