Rutgers
3-3-1, 1-0-0
Princeton
4-1-1, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rutgers | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Men's Soccer Dominates No. 11 Princeton
Sep 15 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. ā Rutgers men's soccer used a clinical attack and a stifling defensive effort to secure a dominant 2-0 victory over No. 11 Princeton on Tuesday night at Yurcak Field. For the second straight match, RU defeated the No. 11 team in the nation following a 3-1 defeat of No. 11 UCLA on Friday night.
The Scarlet Knights (3-3-1) scored twice in the first half and played 90 minutes of suffocating defense to hand the Tigers (4-1-1) their first loss of the season.
Abubakar Mayanja scored his first career goal in the 12th minute, and William Pierce scored for the second straight match with an insurance tally in the 40th minute to highlight the scoring. Rafael Ponce De Leon made five saves in his first shutout of the season.
Rutgers set the tone from the opening whistle, controlling the match with a convincing first half. In the opening 45 minutes, RU opened a 2-0 lead, held a 7-1 advantage in shots and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Just over 11 minutes into the match, Mayanja received the ball in the box from Braxton Montgomery, faked a shot and beat his defender with a turn before firing the ball into the bottom-left corner. In his first start and just his fourth match as a Scarlet Knight, Mayanja provided the spark his team needed in a big moment.
Five minutes before the half, Pierce provided another electrifying moment. Less than a week after his late insurance goal in the win over No. 11 UCLA, Pierce did the same against the Tigers. On a quick passing combination, Pius Ssebulime found a cutting Erick Ruiz, who crossed it into the box, where Pierce beat his man and slotted it home to make it 2-0.
In the second half, the RU backline buckled down and held off a persistent Princeton side. The Tigers did not go away quietly, totaling seven shots and six corner kicks in the final 45 minutes and forcing Ponce De Leon to make four saves. At the end of the night, the organization and strength of the Rutgers defense proved to be too much for Princeton to break down.
Rutgers is back in action against another ranked foe when it visits No. 3 Ohio State on Friday night in Columbus, with the match set for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
Follow Rutgers Men's SoccerĀ on Social MediaĀ Ā
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Abubakar Mayanja (1)
Assisted By: Braxton Montgomery , Francesco Di Ponzio
GOAL by RUT Mayanja, Abubakar Assist by Montgomery, Braxton and Di Ponzio, Francesco.
11:08
William Pierce (2)
Assisted By: Erick Ruiz , Pius Ssebulime
GOAL by RUT Pierce, William Assist by Ruiz, Erick and Ssebulime, Pius.
39:59
