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Game Twenty One - NCAA Second Round:
No. 23 Rutgers (12-6-2, 4-4-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 5 (15-3-2, 4-0-1 MAC)
Date Sunday, Nov. 22
Time 4:00 p.m. EST
Location Akron, Ohio | First Energy Stadium
Video Akron Zips All Access
Live Stats Gametracker
Game Notes Rutgers | Akron
Statistics Rutgers | Akron
NCAA Tournament News Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket
NCAA TOURNAMENT TIME
The Rutgers men’s soccer team is making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the second round of action for the 10th time in history meeting the tournament’s number four seed, Akron, on Sunday at 4 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights advanced on penalty kicks on Thursday night against LIU Brooklyn. After playing to a 1-1 draw after regulation and two overtime periods, RU edged the Blackbirds, 3-2, in the shootout to advance.
Rutgers earned an at-large bid to the 48-team tournament after recording a 12-6-1 overall record, a Big Ten Tournament semifinals appearance and tying for third place in the Big Ten regular season standings.
Among Rutgers’ highlights during the season were Top 25 wins on the road against then No. 22 (NSCAA) Indiana (Sept. 20 - W, 4-1) and in overtime at then-No. 25 (CSN) Michigan (Oct. 10 - W, 1-0). Additionally, the Scarlet Knights edged out Big Ten runner-up, Ohio State, 1-0, during the regular season to claim first place in the Big Ten standings in the second-to-last week of the regular season.
The Scarlet Knights boasted a seven-game win streak during the regular season - RU’s longest win-streak since the 1997 season - and collected eight shutouts - their most since the 1998 campaign. Additionally, Rutgers’ 12 victories are the most by the squad in 14 seasons.
RU IN THE NCAA’SAs a program, Rutgers has made 17 NCAA appearances, including three Final Four matches and the 1990 National Championship game.
RU is 16-13-2 all-time in NCAA games, 9-6-1 in first round matchups and 5-4-1 in second round contests.
The Scarlet Knights last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, reaching the third round of play. That season, Rutgers finished second in the Big East Red Division and advanced to the Big East Tournament semifinals. They entered NCAA play with a 9-5-3 overall record overall and 6-1-2 mark in BIG EAST competition.
During the 2011 campaign, RU posted the best turnaround in BIG EAST competition since the league expanded to 16 teams in 2005. The Scarlet Knights had posted just one BIG EAST win in 2010 and four wins total.
The Scarlet Knights advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before their run was stopped by No. 5 UCLA, 3-0. RU previously upended fourth-seeded and eighth-ranked Boston College in penalty kicks on the road for its first second round win since 2001 and defeated Colgate at home, 4-2, in the first round.
ABOUT AKRON
The Scarlet Knights will be facing the tournament’s fourth overall seed and Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament champions in Akron. The Zips hold a 15-3-2 overall record and posted a 4-0-1 MAC mark. Akron is unbeaten in 12 of its last 13 contests with the lone loss in the span to UCLA, 4-2, on Nov. 1. The Zips are making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Zips are led by First Team All-MAC selection Adam Najem with 26 points (9G, 8A), followed by fellow first team honorees Sam Gainford (8G, 7A) and Richie Laryea (9G, 5A) with 23 points each.
In goal, Jake Fenlason, a Second Team All-MAC award winner, is holding down a 1.21 goals against average and .769 save percentage. He has made 83 saves on the year while allowing 25 goals.
DEJU VU ALL OVER AGAIN
The Zips enter Sunday’s contest ranked fifth in the NSCAA Poll, the same ranking they had when they visited Piscataway in 2013 in the last meeting between the two teams.
Sunday’s matchup also marks the second time Akron and Rutgers have faced each other in the NCAA Tournament, also a second round contest. Back in 2003, the Zips advanced to the third round following a 3-2 win over RU.
LAST TIME VS. AKRON
Former Scarlet Knight Kene Eze gave the Rutgers men’s soccer team a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute, but a late regulation goal by No. 5 Akron and a penalty kick in the second overtime lifted the nationally-ranked Zips to the 2-1 win over the Scarlet Knights at Yurcak Field on Sept. 8, 2013.
Eze broke the 0-0 stalemate on his third goal of the season. Erik Sa fed the ball from the left side of the box where Eze’s header from the left post sailed into the right corner. For Sa, it was his first assist in a Scarlet Knight uniform.
Akron had a chance at an equalizer midway through the second half, but an open shot from Reinaldo Brenes hit the far post to keep Rutgers in the lead.
The Rutgers defense was able to thwart the Akron offense, which ended up outshooting the Scarlet Knights 28-8, until the 85th minute of action. With five minutes remaining in regulation, Akron’s Eric Stevenson managed to slip the ball past the Rutgers defense at the top of the box, setting up Ismail Serembe to score from 18-yards out.
Eze had a chance to give RU the win before overtime. In the final minute of regulation, Rutgers’ leading scorer broke open in the box, but was tackled by a pair of Zip defenders to block his attempt on net.
Rutgers was forced to play a man down during both overtimes after Drew Morgan picked up his second yellow card. Neither team scored in the first overtime with the Scarlet Knights’ only shot in the extra sessions coming off a header from Mitchell Taintor on a RU corner kick.
Brenes, a Hermann Watch List member, collected the game-winner after the Zips were awarded a penalty kick in the 105th minute. Brenes went right with the ball brushing RU’s goalkeeper Dave Greczek’s fingertips before going into the net.
Greczek ended the afternoon making five saves. Akron’s Fernando Pina stopped four Scarlet Knight shots on net.
A Rutgers victory would have given Akron back-to-back losses for the first time since 2007.
GOING TO PK'S
It was the fifth time the Rutgers men’s soccer team went to penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights also went to a shootout in their last NCAA Tournament run, defeating Boston College, 4-3, on penalties in the second round in 2011.
One of RU’s most memorable games in history was also decided by penalty kicks. The 1990 NCAA Championship Game between RU and UCLA came down to PKs with the Bruins edging the Scarlet Knights, 4-3, for the title.
RECAPPING THE FIRST ROUND
After battling to a 1-1 tie after 110:00 minutes of action in sideways rain and with puddles building up on the playing surface, the game advanced to PKs where the Scarlet Knights edged out the Blackbirds, 3-2, in the NCAA First Round.
Junior goalkeeper David Greczek, who made four saves during regulation and the two overtime periods, stopped three of LIU Brooklyn’s five penalty kicks, while senior JP Correa, senior Mitchell Taintor and sophomore Brandon Tetro all reached the back of the Blackbird net.
Greczek stopped the Blackbird’s first attempt by NEC Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen and denied the final two kicks of the series. He halted Erik Wahlin’s shot and sealed the Scarlet Knights advancement to it’s 10th NCAA Second Round appearance in history after diving to his left to stop Raffi Gregorian’s kick.
THE EQUALIZER
Ahmad Faheem’s first career tally came on Thursday night against LIU Brooklyn in the first round contest. His score was the game’s equalizer.
Rutgers had to play from behind as the NEC Champions had a 1-0 lead at the half.
In the 76th minute. from near midfield, freshman Sheldon Mckoy sent the ball into the box, finding the foot of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Jason Wright. Wright tapped the ball to his right for Faheem to find the opening at the right post from 12 yards out.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
Redshirt senior midfielder JP Correa is the lone Scarlet Knight remaining from RU’s NCAA run in 2011.
Correa buried the game-winner in RU’s 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.
Correa, in his freshman season in 2011, appeared in and started all 20 games and tied for the team high with six goals and tallied a team-best five assists. During his freshman season, Correa was named to the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team and was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-Northeast Region selection.
Current assistant coach Bryant Knibbs was a senior on the Scarlet Knight squad in 2011. Knibbs captured an assist on the game-tying goal in the second round contest with Boston College, with Rutgers ultimately advancing to the third round on penalty kicks. He also had one of RU’s four goals in the 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appears in the top 15 in four national categories which include ranking sixth in total assists (40). The Scarlet also rank 11th in assists per game (2.00), 12th in total points (120) and points per game (6.00).
Individually, Jason Wright ranks sixth in total points (31), seventh in total goals (13), eighth in game-winning goals (5) and 17th in goals per game (0.65) among all Division I players.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
-RU-
Game Twenty One - NCAA Second Round:
No. 23 Rutgers (12-6-2, 4-4-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 5 (15-3-2, 4-0-1 MAC)
Date Sunday, Nov. 22
Time 4:00 p.m. EST
Location Akron, Ohio | First Energy Stadium
Video Akron Zips All Access
Live Stats Gametracker
Game Notes Rutgers | Akron
Statistics Rutgers | Akron
NCAA Tournament News Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket
NCAA TOURNAMENT TIME
The Rutgers men’s soccer team is making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the second round of action for the 10th time in history meeting the tournament’s number four seed, Akron, on Sunday at 4 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights advanced on penalty kicks on Thursday night against LIU Brooklyn. After playing to a 1-1 draw after regulation and two overtime periods, RU edged the Blackbirds, 3-2, in the shootout to advance.
Rutgers earned an at-large bid to the 48-team tournament after recording a 12-6-1 overall record, a Big Ten Tournament semifinals appearance and tying for third place in the Big Ten regular season standings.
Among Rutgers’ highlights during the season were Top 25 wins on the road against then No. 22 (NSCAA) Indiana (Sept. 20 - W, 4-1) and in overtime at then-No. 25 (CSN) Michigan (Oct. 10 - W, 1-0). Additionally, the Scarlet Knights edged out Big Ten runner-up, Ohio State, 1-0, during the regular season to claim first place in the Big Ten standings in the second-to-last week of the regular season.
The Scarlet Knights boasted a seven-game win streak during the regular season - RU’s longest win-streak since the 1997 season - and collected eight shutouts - their most since the 1998 campaign. Additionally, Rutgers’ 12 victories are the most by the squad in 14 seasons.
RU IN THE NCAA’SAs a program, Rutgers has made 17 NCAA appearances, including three Final Four matches and the 1990 National Championship game.
RU is 16-13-2 all-time in NCAA games, 9-6-1 in first round matchups and 5-4-1 in second round contests.
The Scarlet Knights last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, reaching the third round of play. That season, Rutgers finished second in the Big East Red Division and advanced to the Big East Tournament semifinals. They entered NCAA play with a 9-5-3 overall record overall and 6-1-2 mark in BIG EAST competition.
During the 2011 campaign, RU posted the best turnaround in BIG EAST competition since the league expanded to 16 teams in 2005. The Scarlet Knights had posted just one BIG EAST win in 2010 and four wins total.
The Scarlet Knights advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before their run was stopped by No. 5 UCLA, 3-0. RU previously upended fourth-seeded and eighth-ranked Boston College in penalty kicks on the road for its first second round win since 2001 and defeated Colgate at home, 4-2, in the first round.
ABOUT AKRON
The Scarlet Knights will be facing the tournament’s fourth overall seed and Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament champions in Akron. The Zips hold a 15-3-2 overall record and posted a 4-0-1 MAC mark. Akron is unbeaten in 12 of its last 13 contests with the lone loss in the span to UCLA, 4-2, on Nov. 1. The Zips are making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Zips are led by First Team All-MAC selection Adam Najem with 26 points (9G, 8A), followed by fellow first team honorees Sam Gainford (8G, 7A) and Richie Laryea (9G, 5A) with 23 points each.
In goal, Jake Fenlason, a Second Team All-MAC award winner, is holding down a 1.21 goals against average and .769 save percentage. He has made 83 saves on the year while allowing 25 goals.
DEJU VU ALL OVER AGAIN
The Zips enter Sunday’s contest ranked fifth in the NSCAA Poll, the same ranking they had when they visited Piscataway in 2013 in the last meeting between the two teams.
Sunday’s matchup also marks the second time Akron and Rutgers have faced each other in the NCAA Tournament, also a second round contest. Back in 2003, the Zips advanced to the third round following a 3-2 win over RU.
LAST TIME VS. AKRON
Former Scarlet Knight Kene Eze gave the Rutgers men’s soccer team a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute, but a late regulation goal by No. 5 Akron and a penalty kick in the second overtime lifted the nationally-ranked Zips to the 2-1 win over the Scarlet Knights at Yurcak Field on Sept. 8, 2013.
Eze broke the 0-0 stalemate on his third goal of the season. Erik Sa fed the ball from the left side of the box where Eze’s header from the left post sailed into the right corner. For Sa, it was his first assist in a Scarlet Knight uniform.
Akron had a chance at an equalizer midway through the second half, but an open shot from Reinaldo Brenes hit the far post to keep Rutgers in the lead.
The Rutgers defense was able to thwart the Akron offense, which ended up outshooting the Scarlet Knights 28-8, until the 85th minute of action. With five minutes remaining in regulation, Akron’s Eric Stevenson managed to slip the ball past the Rutgers defense at the top of the box, setting up Ismail Serembe to score from 18-yards out.
Eze had a chance to give RU the win before overtime. In the final minute of regulation, Rutgers’ leading scorer broke open in the box, but was tackled by a pair of Zip defenders to block his attempt on net.
Rutgers was forced to play a man down during both overtimes after Drew Morgan picked up his second yellow card. Neither team scored in the first overtime with the Scarlet Knights’ only shot in the extra sessions coming off a header from Mitchell Taintor on a RU corner kick.
Brenes, a Hermann Watch List member, collected the game-winner after the Zips were awarded a penalty kick in the 105th minute. Brenes went right with the ball brushing RU’s goalkeeper Dave Greczek’s fingertips before going into the net.
Greczek ended the afternoon making five saves. Akron’s Fernando Pina stopped four Scarlet Knight shots on net.
A Rutgers victory would have given Akron back-to-back losses for the first time since 2007.
GOING TO PK'S
It was the fifth time the Rutgers men’s soccer team went to penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights also went to a shootout in their last NCAA Tournament run, defeating Boston College, 4-3, on penalties in the second round in 2011.
One of RU’s most memorable games in history was also decided by penalty kicks. The 1990 NCAA Championship Game between RU and UCLA came down to PKs with the Bruins edging the Scarlet Knights, 4-3, for the title.
RECAPPING THE FIRST ROUND
After battling to a 1-1 tie after 110:00 minutes of action in sideways rain and with puddles building up on the playing surface, the game advanced to PKs where the Scarlet Knights edged out the Blackbirds, 3-2, in the NCAA First Round.
Junior goalkeeper David Greczek, who made four saves during regulation and the two overtime periods, stopped three of LIU Brooklyn’s five penalty kicks, while senior JP Correa, senior Mitchell Taintor and sophomore Brandon Tetro all reached the back of the Blackbird net.
Greczek stopped the Blackbird’s first attempt by NEC Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen and denied the final two kicks of the series. He halted Erik Wahlin’s shot and sealed the Scarlet Knights advancement to it’s 10th NCAA Second Round appearance in history after diving to his left to stop Raffi Gregorian’s kick.
THE EQUALIZER
Ahmad Faheem’s first career tally came on Thursday night against LIU Brooklyn in the first round contest. His score was the game’s equalizer.
Rutgers had to play from behind as the NEC Champions had a 1-0 lead at the half.
In the 76th minute. from near midfield, freshman Sheldon Mckoy sent the ball into the box, finding the foot of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Jason Wright. Wright tapped the ball to his right for Faheem to find the opening at the right post from 12 yards out.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
Redshirt senior midfielder JP Correa is the lone Scarlet Knight remaining from RU’s NCAA run in 2011.
Correa buried the game-winner in RU’s 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.
Correa, in his freshman season in 2011, appeared in and started all 20 games and tied for the team high with six goals and tallied a team-best five assists. During his freshman season, Correa was named to the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team and was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-Northeast Region selection.
Current assistant coach Bryant Knibbs was a senior on the Scarlet Knight squad in 2011. Knibbs captured an assist on the game-tying goal in the second round contest with Boston College, with Rutgers ultimately advancing to the third round on penalty kicks. He also had one of RU’s four goals in the 4-2 first round victory over Colgate.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appears in the top 15 in four national categories which include ranking sixth in total assists (40). The Scarlet also rank 11th in assists per game (2.00), 12th in total points (120) and points per game (6.00).
Individually, Jason Wright ranks sixth in total points (31), seventh in total goals (13), eighth in game-winning goals (5) and 17th in goals per game (0.65) among all Division I players.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
-RU-
