Rutgers
Sacred Heart
Men's Soccer to Face Sacred Heart in Home Opener Friday Night
Aug 27 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's soccer returns to Yurcak Field for its 2026 home opener, hosting Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
Match Details
Rutgers (0-1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Sacred Heart (0-1-1, 0-0 Metro)
7 p.m. ET | Friday, Aug. 28
Yurcak Field | Piscataway, N.J.
Stream: B1G+
Last Time Out
Rutgers opened the 2026 campaign on the road, playing American to a scoreless draw on Thursday, Aug. 20, before falling to No. 5 Georgetown, 2-1, three days later.
Charlie Kitch found the back of the net against the Hoyas for the first goal of his Scarlet Knight career and the fifth of his collegiate career.
Goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de Leon recorded his first shutout as a Scarlet Knight against the Eagles and the 13th of his collegiate career. He finished the opening weekend with nine saves.
Big Ten Preseason Honors
Nick Collins, Rafael Ponce de Leon and Amer Lukovic were selected as Preseason Big Ten Players to Watch.
All eyes on us 🤩#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/maslsaFWaU
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 18, 2026
Collins is coming off his best season with the Scarlet Knights, finishing with a career-best eight points while playing an essential role on the defensive end. He started all 17 matches in 2025 and logged the second-most minutes on the team with 1,499. Collins scored a career-best three goals, including the game-winner against Wisconsin on Oct. 10, while also adding two assists. He helped Rutgers record five shutouts, the program's most since 2021.
Ponce de Leon joins the Scarlet Knights after three seasons at Northwestern, where he established himself as a standout keeper in the Big Ten. He started all 16 matches during the 2025 season and recorded five shutouts for the second consecutive year. He wrapped up his Northwestern career with 12 clean sheets, which ranks fifth all-time in program history.
After a successful career at Montclair State, Lukovic found the back of the net once last season at James Madison (Aug. 29) before an injury cut his season short. He has already made an impact during the preseason and will look to continue that productivity this fall.
Collins and Kitch Named to 2026 United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch
Nick Collins and Charlie Kitch have been named to the 2026 United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch List for Defenders.
Making some noise 📢
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 4, 2026
All eyes are on Nick Collins and Charlie Kitch heading into the season as the pair is named to the @UnitedCoaches Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch!
📰: https://t.co/QLunyVsEoW#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/VjI6DWP9wB
The watch lists are compiled and released by the United Soccer Coaches Division I All-America Committees to highlight the nation's top players leading into the start of the 2026 regular season. The list features returning standouts, including 2025 United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and All-Region selections.
Collins earns the recognition after a standout junior campaign with the Scarlet Knights. He started all 17 matches and logged 1,499 minutes, the second-most on the team. The Mount Olive, New Jersey, native recorded a career-high three goals, including the game-winner against Wisconsin on Oct. 10, while adding two assists for a career-best eight points. Defensively, he helped Rutgers post five shutouts, the program's most since 2021.
Kitch joins the watch list following an impressive junior season at Elon, where he helped lead the Phoenix to the 2025 CAA Championship. He collected All-CAA Second Team honors for the second consecutive season, earned United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Atlantic Region recognition and was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team.
The Medford, New Jersey, product made 12 starts in 18 appearances, totaling 1,129 minutes. He scored two goals on the season, including the game-winner against UNCW on Oct. 11 and another in Elon's 6-4 CAA Tournament semifinal victory over Campbell on Nov. 9.
The Returners
Rutgers returns 17 student-athletes who saw action during the 2025 season, including seven players who started at least 12 matches.
The Scarlet Knights bring back three key pieces of the backline in Collins, Braxton Montgomery and Devon Stopek, all of whom appeared in every match last season.
In addition, Rutgers returns eight of its 10 goal scorers from a year ago, accounting for 17 of the team's goals in 2025.
Welcoming the Newcomers
McElderry and his staff welcomed 11 new faces "On The Banks" during the offseason, including seven transfers and four first-year players.
The transfer class brings veteran talent from across the country, combining for 103 career games of collegiate experience.
Transfers: Rafael Ponce de Leon (Northwestern), Charlie Kitch (Elon), Pius Ssebulime (Gardner-Webb), Zach Mastrodimos (UCLA), William Pierce (Fairfield), Jan Ziewiec (Hofstra) and Abubaker Mayanja (UNC)
First Years: Brian Nascimento, Julian Chapman, Noah Hannawald and Hector Criado
Up Next
Rutgers will keep the Yurcak Field home stand going at 7 p.m. against Seton Hall on Friday, Sept. 4.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMensSoccer) for all the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer.
