Category: Rutgers soccer

Rutgers women’s soccer dominates Big Ten honors

Rutgers women’s soccer sees nine honored with Big Ten awards.

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It isn’t a surprise that Rutgers women’s soccer has nearly a clean sweep of the end-of-season awards for the Big Ten this year. Especially given the year the program just had.

The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 15-2 and 10-0 in the Big Ten, the first time since Penn State in 2005 that a women’s soccer team didn’t drop a point in conference play.

As such, Mike O’Neill was named the conference’s coach of the year as Rutgers captured their first-ever Big Ten title. In fact, it was the first conference title for Rutgers since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

Six players were named All-Big Ten led by first-team selections senior forward Amirah Ali (First Team), freshman midfielder Riley Tiernan (First Team), senior forward Frankie Tagliaferri (First Team) and defender Gabby Provenzano (First Team). Sophomore defender Becci Fluchel (Second Team) and goalkeeper Meagan McClelland (Third Team) round out the team selections for Rutgers.

Senior Shea Holland was given the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

 

Tagliaferri, a transfer from Penn State, was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year while Provenzano, the team’s captain, was the Big Ten Defender of the Year.

The Big Ten Freshman of the Year was fittingly given to Tiernan, who was a revelation on the wing with four goals and 10 assists. In addition to the individual honor, Tiernan along with midfielder Kylie Daigle and defender Kassidy Banks were selected to the All-Freshman Team.

Greg Schiano congratulates Mike O’Neill and the women’s soccer team on Big Ten title

Rutgers women’s soccer gets a shoutout from football head coach Greg Schiano.

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What’s the first thing Greg Schiano do in Monday’s press conference? Praise another football coach.

OK, well Schiano actually praised a soccer coach and not a football. But the rest of the world calls it football or futbol) so cut us some slack here.

Schiano, the head coach of Rutgers football, offered congratulations to Mike O’Neill, the head coach of the Rutgers women’s soccer team to start his weekly press conference. The women’s soccer program finished the regular season 15-2 and with a 10-0 mark in the Big Ten.

It was the first Big Ten title in the athletic department history. Rutgers joined the conference in 2014 and while there has been solid success across the Olympic sports, a conference title has been hard to come by.

“I want to start by congratulating Mike O’Neill and the women’s soccer team, Big Ten champions, our first Big Ten championship at Rutgers,” Schiano told reporters on Tuesday.

“And really, really good. Mike is one of the first people that I saw when I came back here to Rutgers and he runs an excellent program. And I’m really excited for him. And for the ladies there that did a tremendous job. So, hats off to them and a big congrats.”

The women play Wisconsin at Yurcak Field on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The O’Neill’s team didn’t lose a game in conference play, making them the first team in the Big Ten to do so since Penn State in 2005.

Rutgers women’s soccer climbs (again) in latest United Soccer Coaches Poll

Rutgers women’s soccer goes up the polls once again following a Big Ten title.

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Rutgers women’s soccer moved up three spots in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Division I Poll. The climb up the women’s soccer standings underscores the Scarlet Knights strong season that resulted in them capturing the Big Ten regular season title.

With the Big Ten title last week, Rutgers is now No. 6 in the latest poll. They are the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play Wisconsin at Yurcak Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 15-2 and 10-0 in the Big Ten. It is the first time since Penn State in 2005 that a women’s soccer program hasn’t dropped any points in Big Ten play.

Rutgers is one of three Big Ten teams in the poll, with No. 17 Michigan and No. 18 Purdue also checking in. Penn State is not ranked but receiving votes (28).

On Monday morning, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano started his weekly press conference praising head coach Mike O’Neill and the program for the Big Ten title.

Last week, the women’s soccer team swept road games against Ohio State and Illinois to clinch the title outright.

Rutgers women’s soccer continues to find new firsts for the program

Rutgers women’s soccer continues to excel as they close out the regular season with a win at Illinois.

The list of firsts continues for Rutgers women’s soccer following a 3-0 win at Illinois to close out the regular season.

Not only did the Scarlet Knights capture the school’s first Big Ten title since joining the conference in 2014, but the women’s soccer team put together the first undefeated Big Ten season in school history as well. With the win at Illinois, Rutgers finished the season 10-0 in conference play, becoming the first women’s soccer program in the conference to not drop points (only wins, no losses or ties) since Penn State in 2005.

Rutgers now goes into next week’s Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

The Scarlet Knights are 15-2 on the season and have won 11 straight games.

Allison Lowery got the game-winner at Illinois in the first half, scoring in the 37th minute. That was followed by Amirah Ali’s brace in the second half to put an exclamation point on what has been a tremendous regular season so far for Rutgers.

The men’s soccer program is 8-4-2 (2-4-1 Big Ten) and lost on Friday 2-1 at a very good Michigan team. They play UConn on Tuesday at Yurcak Field.

Watch: Women’s soccer lifts trophy, celebrates Rutgers’ first Big Ten title

Rutgers women’s soccer celebrates the Scarlet Knights first-ever Big Ten championship in any sport.

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Rutgers has captured its first Big Ten title and first Big Ten title outright, the Scarlet Knights women’s soccer team celebrating a road win with a conference title as well.

On Sunday, the Scarlet Knights 1-0 home win over Michigan State saw them capture a share of the conference title. Now on Thursday with a win at Indiana by a 2-0 scoreline, Rutgers took the Big Ten’s women’s soccer title.

Goals by Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri on either side of halftime secured the big win for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers finishes their regular season at Illinois before the Big Ten Tournament begins next week.

The Scarlet Knights are ranked ninth nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. They are 14-2 (9-0 Big Ten) and have won 10 straight games. They have yet to drop any points in conference play heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale.

Last season, the women’s program finished 9-3-4 (6-2-3 Big Ten), losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Clemson on penalty kicks.

Rutgers women’s soccer remains top 10 in latest poll

Rutgers women’s soccer is the top-ranked Big Ten team in latest poll.

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Rutgers women’s soccer remains among the best in the nation in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll.

The Scarlet Knights, 13-2-0 are ranked ninth in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll. Their ranking remains unchanged from the week before. The program clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season title this weekend, the first conference title for Rutgers in any sport since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

The soccer program is one of two fall sports programs currently ranked top 10 nationally in their respective polls. Rutgers field hockey is No. 3 in this week’s National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.

This weekend, the soccer team closes out the Big Ten regular season with games at Indiana on Friday and Illinois on Sunday.

Since a September 24 loss at No. 20 Georgetown, the women have won eight straight games. They have won all eight games in Big Ten play this season.

They are one of three teams from the Big Ten ranked in the poll including No. 18 Purdue and No. 24 Penn State.

Rutgers men’s soccer with a chance to start racking up results

Rutgers men’s soccer has emerged from a toughs stretch of games and now faces Michigan State this weekend.

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This is a big weekend for Rutgers men’s soccer with a chance to right their results against a Big Ten opponent.

Following a 2-0 midweek loss to Penn State, No. 23 Rutgers men’s soccer is 7-2-2 and 1-2-2 in the Big Ten. Rutgers hasn’t won in their last three games, two losses, and a scoreless draw at then-No. 8 Maryland (the Terrapins are now No. 12).

On Sunday, they face Michigan State at 2:30 PM at Yurcak Field. The match has big implications for seeding in the Big Ten Tournament.

“I think the theme we’ve talked to our guys about is that in these games, against top teams, the difference between winning and losing is really razor-thin. If you really sit down and evaluate our game against Penn State, we had long moments where we thought we played really well and there were some moments where they played very well and that’s going to happen when you play great teams,” McElderry said during his weekly podcast with Dom Savino.

“If you look at the standings, we’ve played a really tough conference schedule so far; the other games are certainly not easy by any stretch. But we’ve played some teams that are really in form, we’ve picked up four points against some tough places to play so we feel good about that. But of course, you want to win your home games.”

None of Rutgers remaining four games (three in the Big Ten) are against an opponent that is currently ranked.

Rutgers ready to host dozens of commits and several four-star recruits against Ohio State

Rutgers football is set to host several big-time recruits this Saturday agains

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It is a big weekend for Rutgers football ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 11 Ohio State. For 3-1 Rutgers, it is the chance to make a national statement on the field. It is also the chance to make inroads in terms of recruiting off the field.

Roughly three dozen recruits and commits are expected at Saturday’s game at SHI Stadium. It is an opportunity for Rutgers to make an impression and continue the very solid work from the past two years in terms of landing recruits and continuing to upgrade the quality of athletes being brought in by the Scarlet Knights.

Four-star linebacker Anthony Johnson, a Rutgers verbal since the spring, will be at the game. So too will two Florida four-star players: linebacker Troy Bowles and wide receiver Santana Flemming. All three players also hold Ohio State offers.

A strong showing against the reigning Big Ten champions would be impressive and help Rutgers start their 2023 class on solid footing.

Here are the players confirmed to be in attendance on Saturday afternoon. Players in italics are current verbal commits. An asterisk denotes a player who also holds an Ohio State offer.

The players are listed in alphabetical order and include position, high school, and graduation class in parentheses:

Thomas Amankwaa (CB; Hillsborough, NJ; 2022)

Troy Bowles* (LB; Jesuit, FL; 2023)

Joe De Croce (OL; Northern Valley, NJ; 2022)

Santana Fleming (WR; American Heritage, FL; 2023)

Davison Igbinosun (S; Union, NJ; 2022)

Anthony Johnson* (LB; Norman-Goretti, PA; 2022)

Nelson Monegro (OL; Union City, NJ; 2022)

Emir Stinette (OL; Imhoptep, PA; 2022)

Famah Toure (ATH; Irvington, NJ; 2023)

Vaboue Toure (S; Irvington, NJ; 2024)

Taj White (OL; Hudson Catholic, NJ; 2022)

Rutgers men’s soccer coach Jim McElderry: ‘We have enough here to be one of the top teams in the country’

No. 24 Rutgers men’s soccer earns a solid road draw at No. 8 Maryland on Tuesday night.

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It was both a statement and a bounceback game from Rutgers men’s soccer on Tuesday night, who went on the road and secured a scoreless draw at No. 8 Maryland.

Especially impressive was how Rutgers responded following a Thursday night 2-0 loss at home to Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights put together a solid performance in churning out the road draw, an impressive result as they continue to stack points in Big Ten play.

With the tie, Rutgers is now 7-1-2. They are ranked No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll.

“We had a tough game against Wisconsin and I think we were a little disappointed in how that game went. For us to bounce back…on the road, against what I think [is] a real quality opponent,” Rutgers men’s soccer head coach Jim McElderry said after the game.

“I think our guys showed we can compete with anybody in the country. We have to play well, we have to compete every play. We have enough here to be one of the top teams in the country if we can just compete every moment.”

The Scarlet Knights are 1-1-1 in Big Ten play. They play Penn State next, at home, on October 5.

Late in the second half, attacker Jackson Temple very nearly put Rutgers ahead with a shot from 16 yards out that clanged off the post.

The Philadelphia Union Academy prospect has been one of the top players in the Big Ten this year.

Saying “I thought we were up for it tonight,” McElderry liked the response of his team after injuries and setbacks in the first half could have made this a tough game. Instead, Rutgers responded well.

“Honestly, I thought they were fantastic tonight. This is a really tough place to play, they’re an excellent team, really good going forward,” McElderry said.

“And we had some opportunities today to say ‘It wasn’t our day.’ A couple guys got injured, it could have been easy for us to not be up for the challenge. But I just thought they were fantastic. We played a couple of guys who had big impacts. Really proud of our group.”

Rutgers men’s and women’s soccer both ranked in latest polls

Both the Rutgers men’s soccer team and Rutger women’s soccer team are ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.

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Rutgers soccer is well represented in each of the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Top 25 Polls released on Tuesday afternoon.

Fresh off a 2-1 win over Indiana on Friday and a 1-0 win over a very good UPenn team on Monday night, the Rutgers men’s soccer teams checks in at No. 21 in the nation. It is the first time this year that the men have been ranked.

The Rutgers women’s team, following a home win over preseason Big Ten favorite Penn State, moved up seven spots to No. 9.

Following a pair of disappointing losses two weeks ago to Princeton at home and Georgetown on the road, the women have won two straight. They beat Drexel 4-0 at home on Thursday before defeating national powerhouse Penn State 2-1 over the weekend.

The women are currently 6-2-0 on the year. The ranking within the top 10 nationally comes after the Scarlet Knights were ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. The rather steady climb is deserving of a women’s program that is solid on both ends of the field.

For the men, who were unranked in the preseason, the win at then No. 11 Indiana is program transforming. The Hoosiers, who made the NCAA Championship Game last year, have been among the best collegiate programs in not just the Big Ten but the nation for over three decades. The win by the men certainly validates the program’s undefeated start to the season as well as the rebuild undertaken by head coach Jim McElderry, now in his third season at Rutgers.

The men are currently 7-0-1. They didn’t receive any votes in last week’s United Soccer Coaches poll.

Several of the bigger contributors to the program have come from local MLS academies. Left back Chris Tiao and forward Nico Rosamilia are both products of the New York Red Bulls Academy. Wide attacker Jackson Temple, a junior, comes from the Philadelphia Union Academy.