Men's Soccer Shines in 4-0 Victory Over Northwestern

Friday, October 2

Piscataway, N.J.

7:00 PM

Rutgers

5-4-1, 3-1-0

Northwestern

5-4-1, 2-2-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Northwestern	0	0	0
Rutgers	3	1	4

Photo by: Kate Butler

Men's Soccer Shines in 4-0 Victory Over Northwestern

Oct 02 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's soccer (5-4-1, 3-1-0) raced out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating Northwestern (5-4-1, 2-2-0), 4-0, on Friday night at Yurcak Field.

The Scarlet Knights scored three goals in the opening nine minutes, quickly taking control of the match. Pius Ssebulime opened the scoring in the third minute with a diving header, before Dan Karsten doubled the lead in the eighth minute with a right-footed strike off a loose ball in the box following a Rutgers throw-in.

3' | THE GOAL STANDS 👏

Pius Ssebulime nets his first career goal to give the Scarlet Knights an early lead!

📺 B1G+
📊 https://t.co/VtULQL2bd2 #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/xpo8TYKA6v
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 2, 2026

8' | ANOTHER GOAL STANDS ‼️

📺 B1G+
📊 https://t.co/VtULQL2bd2 #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/vJYIDUsnLE
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 2, 2026

Just over a minute later, Amer Lukovic added a third, finishing with his left foot after a long pass from Devon Stopek. Rutgers carried the 3-0 advantage into halftime.

9' | That down field vision though 👀

Amer Lukovic makes it 3-0!

📺 B1G+
📊 https://t.co/VtULQL2bd2 #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/FyHGvAYmyC
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 2, 2026

The Scarlet Knights added to their lead in the 71st minute, as Lukovic beat a Northwestern defender before finishing for his second goal of the night. Simon Gorczowski provided the assist on the play as Rutgers closed out the 4-0 victory.

71' | That's a brace for Lukovic ✌️

📺 B1G+
📊 https://t.co/VtULQL2bd2 #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/rB0rIu6Zpe
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 3, 2026

Goals

3' (RU) Pius Ssebulime – William Pierce & Dan Karsten
8' (RU) Dan Karsten – Amer Lukovic & Nick Collins
9' (RU) Amer Lukovic – Devon Stopek & Hector Criado
71' (RU) Amer Lukovic – Simon Gorczowski

Knight Notes

Rutgers scored three goals in the opening 8:37 of the match, marking its fastest three-goal stretch of the season.
Amer Lukovic recorded a brace, scoring his first two goals of the campaign. He also added an assist on Karsten's goal and leads RU with eight points.
William Pierce also tallied an assist, and has now registered a point in four of the last five matches. He ranks second on the squad with seven points.
Goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de Leon made three saves across 85:44 minutes in net before giving way to Logan Brown, helping Rutgers record its third clean sheet of the season.
Dan Karsten recorded his first goal of the season and his sixth as a Scarlet Knight, while Pius Ssebulime netted the first goal of his career.
The win over the Wildcats marks RU's first since 2022 when the team also scored four goals, winning 4-2. The Scarlet Knights have scored four goals against NU three times.