PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's soccer team (4-2-1, 1-1 B1G) will return to Yurcak Field to host FDU (4-2-2) on Tuesday, Sept. 23.  

The contest will be available to stream on B1G+.  

Last Time Out   

The Scarlet Knights fell in a close contest to Northwestern (5-2-1, 1-1-0 B1G), 2-1, in its Big Ten road opener on Sept. 19.  

The Wildcats netted two goals in the first 18 minutes of the contest. In the 30th minute, Thomas Angelone crossed a ball into the box, but NU misplayed the ball, scoring an own goal to make the score 2-1.  

30' | Rutgers gets one back!

Northwestern still leads, 2-1

📺 B1G+
📊 https://t.co/As69P8Zosc #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/WjDbBE3YDw

— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) September 20, 2025

RU stayed aggressive however, generating multiple opportunities and ended the opening half with an 8-3 advantage in shots.  

After a slow start to the second half, Rutgers exploded in the final minutes of play as Joschi Schleb had a late penalty kick opportunity but could not convert. In addition, Sawyer Koza and Amer Lukovic registered dangerous shots. Andrew Kitch then found the back of the net with just 32 seconds remaining but was called back after video review.   

After all the craziness, Northwestern still came out with a 2-1 victory.   

2025 Team Captains 

Cole Cruthers will return as a captain for the fall 2025 campaign after donning the arm band last season as a junior.  

In addition, Cruthers will be supported by a leadership group including Devon Stopek, Erick Ruiz, Ciaran Dalton and Joschi Schelb.  

In the Books 

Goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton has been a mainstay for Rutgers since he joined the team as a freshman. With his senior season in front of him, Dalton has already cemented himself in the Rutgers men's soccer record book.  

The Pearl River, New York native currently ranks fifth all-time with 54 career games in net. He also moved up to eighth all-time with 192 career saves, just seven stops away from seventh place.  

The Returners  

RU returns seven players who started 10 or more games last season, including six who registered points.  

Ciaran Dalton and Devon Stopek started every game of the 2024 slate while Nick Collins (16), Nestor Cabrera (15), Scott Godden (15), Arnar Adalsteinsson (13) and Cole Cruthers (11) also all started double-digit games for the Scarlet Knights.  

Transferring In 

Rutgers welcomed seven transfers to the team this offseason. 

Joschi Schelb (St. Francis University, Pa.), Camron Boumsong (St. John's University), Andrew Kitch (University of North Carolina) and Timo Jansen (University of Albany) all joined the team this spring while Logan Brown (Clemson), Dan Karsten (Lipscomb) and Amer Lukovic (Montclair State) came "On The Banks" during the summer.  

Schelb (6), Karsten (2), Kitch (1), Lukovic (1) and Boumsong (1) have all found the back of the net for the Scarlet Knights so far this campaign. In addition, Jansen has recorded an assist while playing a big role in the midfield.  

Introducing the Freshmen   

McElderry and his staff also brought in a big freshmen class of nine players. Jude Essuman, Cedric Lemaire and Jack Andrus joined the Scarlet Knights earlier in the spring of 2025 while Jeffrey Bryjack, Simon Gorczowski, Jaden Gordon, Joshua Jerome, Braxton Montgomery and Ailan Panton came ahead of preseason. 

Montgomery and Andrus started all seven games on the backline this slate while Essuman netted a goal for RU.  

Scouting FDU  

After going without a win in three consecutive outings, FDU defeated Columbia (1-0) in its most recent contest.  

Luke Ayaz leads the team with three goals for six points. Matheus Franca has started most games in net (6), accumulating 15 saves and two clean sheets.  

Rutgers owns the 16-7-6 advantage in the all-times series versus FDU.  

Up Next   

Rutgers will remain home and get back to Big Ten play against Ohio State on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. 
 
Follow Along    
 
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