OMAHA, Neb. – The Rutgers University men’s soccer team (1-0-0) will look to remain unbeaten in the 2022 season as they prepare to face Creighton (1-0-0) on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Head coach Jim McElderry will look to lead his squad to consecutive wins to kick off the campaign for the first time since his first season at the helm in 2019.
Last Time Out
Rutgers opened the season with a statement win, defeating Omaha on the road, 4-2, Aug. 25. Senior transfer MD Myers started things off for the team with back-to-back goals while Pablo Avila and Ian Abbey also found the back of the net. Freshman Ciaran Dalton played all 90 minutes in goal for the Scarlet Knights, making two saves in the process.
Final | Nothing like starting the season off with a WIN✔️
Myers (x2), Avila and Abbey find the back of the net to lead the Scarlet Knights to the 4-2 dub!#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/FlNafIRL27
— Rutgers Men’s Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 26, 2022
Coming Out Hot
Since McElderry joined RU ahead of the 2019 season, he has now started all four seasons of his tenure with a win.
McElderry will now look to secure back-to-back wins to start the slate for the second time in his career at RU. He also accomplished the feat in 2019 when the team beat Temple (1-0) and Drexel (2-1).
Welcoming the Newcomers
McElderry and his staff added 11 newcomers to the squad in the offseason, including three transfers and seven freshmen.
Transfers MD Myers (High Point), Sahab Kular (Cleveland State), Nick Spittle (Seneca [OCAA]), Zach Riviere (Georgetown) and freshmen William Baker, Sam Delgado, Ian Abbey, Nestor Cabrera, Cole Cruthers, Ciaran Dalton and Dylan Van Der Walt were all welcomed to the team.
The freshmen duo of Abbey and Dalton both found their way onto the stat sheet in their collegiate debuts against Omaha. Abbey contributed a goal while Dalton recorded two saves in net.
Back Again
The Scarlet Knights return 20 student-athletes overall and 11 players with eight or more starts from the 2021 roster that went 9-6-2, the most wins in a campaign since 2015. Notably, All-Region and All-Big Ten selection Jackson Temple and All-Big Ten Freshman Team picks Matthew Acosta and Joey Zalinsky will be returning to the roster.
One Last Go
Graduate students Thomas DeVizio and Pablo Avila made the decision in the offseason to return to the pitch for their final year of eligibility. Last season, the two veterans combined for 13 points, including three goals and seven assists.
The pair is already proving to be productive as DeVizio played all 90 minutes against the Mavericks while Avila added a score and an assist.
Preseason Hype
Earlier this week, the Big Ten announced Matthew Acosta, MD Myers and Jackson Temple as Player to Watch heading into the fall 2022 season. The team was also picked to finish fifth in the conference standings.
Acosta, returning unanimous All-Big Ten freshman pick, started all 17 games of his rookie season and recorded a pair of assists. A transfer from High Point, Myers is a proven scorer and Big South standout. He recorded 51 career points with the Panthers on 21 goals and nine assists throughout three seasons. Temple returns to RU for his senior year after leading the squad with six goals and two assists for 14 total points.
Temple, a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team pick, was also just named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Players to Watch forwards list on Aug. 16.
Looking Into the Bluejays
Creighton started their fall with a big 6-0 win over Oakland on Thursday night. Duncan McGuire led the team with a hat trick while BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, Paul Kruse, played the majority of the minutes in net.
The Bluejays own the 2-0 edge in the all-time series. The opposition took home wins in both 2012 on the road (3-0) and 2016 at Yurcak Field (2-0).
On the schedule
The team will get comfortable playing in front of a home crowd at Yurcak this season, with 11 home games. Rutgers will play six road games, including two non-conference and four Big Ten matches.
After opening the season with a pair of games in Nebraska, the Scarlet Knights will enjoy a five-game homestand before traveling to Wisconsin to begin conference play on Sept. 23.
Rutgers will get one more three-game stretch at home to start off the month of October before trading home-away games to end the 2022 regular season.
Looking Ahead
RU will return home to face Princeton in their home opener on Friday, Sept. 2 (7 pm) at Yurcak Field.
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 (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.
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