Rutgers 1-4-0 .200 3 6 12 2-8-1 .227 15 31 0-4-1 2-4-0 0-0-0 2-7-1 L2
Sorry for the poorly aligned numbers but these are RU stats and place in league standings copied from Big 10 site. The 12 in conference goals against and the 31 overall against are striking-frightening and embarrassing really. Like no other team in the league, even really comes close—not even the two teams who are lower in the standings (I know it’s hard to believe there are worse teams in the league). The defense has only allowed less than 2 goals in 1 out of 11 games. That’s kind of astounding. I think, but I’d have to go back and look to be sure, that the goal differential was also absurd last year. Defending isn’t easy, but it is way more coachable than scoring. D1 schools can recruit very good athletes who should already be very good defenders or can be relatively easily adjusted into that role—if the coach has a clear and viable tactical plan, and if the coach can work with players in a system that allows them to succeed. If this aspect of the team is a repeat fail as it seems to be, it can’t be much clearer that a new direction is needed.
