Tag: Jim McElderry

Rutgers men’s soccer ready for first foreign tour under Jim McElderry

Rutgers men’s soccer is heading to Spain.

In four days, Rutgers men’s soccer is set to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. From March 8 to 17, the Scarlet Knights will travel to Spain for its first foreign tour under head coach Jim McElderry. The team’s trip starts on March 9 when they land in Madrid before moving to Barcelona.

While sightseeing in Madrid, Rutgers is set to have multiple training sessions and play one game against CD San Roque EFF. Rutgers will also get to attend the Real Madrid vs. Celta Viga match. Their time in Madrid includes a tour of the Atletico Madrid Stadium and Santiago Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid).

Their second stop on the trip will be Toledo, where Rutgers will compete in a match against Illescas FC. They will get to watch Atletico take on Inter Milan before heading to their final destination.

 

Rutgers will finish their trip with a stop in Barcelona where they will play a local academy. For McElderry, this is an opportunity he isn’t taking for granted.

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“Our team is very fortunate and excited for our Foreign Tour to Spain this upcoming March,” McElderry told Rutgers athletics. “We had a few special alums step up and help our program raise the funds needed to allow our team to have this life experience. We are so thankful to the support of the Edelstein Family, the Miller Family, Jeff and Lisa Sinko, as well as an anonymous gift for making this once in a lifetime trip happen. We will use this time to expose the group to a new culture, grow as individuals, volunteer our time, enjoy each other’s company and represent Rutgers on the international stage.

Rutgers men’s soccer coming off a season of success and growth

Rutgers men’s soccer took a big step forward with a very solid 2021 season.

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In now his third season as head coach of Rutgers men’s soccer, Jim McElderry has seen steady growth for his program. This year, Rutgers finished a very solid 9-6-2 in what must unequivocally be called a step forward for the program.

It was a campaign that built on the spring season where the Scarlet Knights went 4-4-1.

“Definitely, [I] think we’ve grown in a lot of ways in terms of the depth of our team,” McElderry told ‘Rutgers Wire’ last week.

“We grew in the overall expectation of our group for what is needed to be a successful Big Ten team. We also had some moments when players were injured or sick, we had the guys to come in and play the way we wanted to play.

“Sometimes we needed a little more quality here in moments but overall, I’m happy with where the group is headed. You’re never satisfied though.”

The Rutgers men’s soccer program has a long history of success that includes appearances in the Final Four and a number of top players including Alexi Lalas, Hamisi Amani-Dove, Jon Conway, Joshua Gros and Dilly Duka among others. McElderry talked about the natural recruiting turf that Rutgers is centrally located in as being a real positive for his program, as are new facilities that include two new practice fields.

Looking back on the season, McElderry liked that his team played a lot of close games. For a young squad, this is important for building their mentality.

“We need to have those high expectations,” McElderry said. “I also felt really good about the mentality of our group.”

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 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 soccer up to No. 12 in latest rankings

Rutgers men’s soccer is now ranked following a big upset win on Friday over Indiana.

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It was a big weekend for Rutgers men’s soccer, who are not only nationally ranked but also on the cusp of being a top 10 team. On Friday night, Rutgers beat No. 11 Indiana, vaulting the Scarlet Knights from being unranked and now firmly in the rankings.

Rutgers is now No. 12 in the nation according to the latest rankings from TopDrawerSoccer. This is one spot higher than the Indiana side that Rutgers beat on the road this past weekend. The Hoosiers played in the national championship game last season.

It has been a strong start to the season for Rutgers, who are 6-0-1 (1-0-0 Big Ten) so far this season. Goals by freshman Nico Rosamilia and junior winger Jackson Temple led Rutgers to the upset win and a potentially a defining moment in head coach Jim McElderry’s rebuilding of the men’s soccer program.

They play a strong UPenn team on Monday night, a side that has legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations. UPenn is 3-1-1 on the year. These two teams last played in 2019, a 1-1 tie at the Quakers.

This is an experienced Rutgers side with 19 players on the roster this year who saw time last season.