Starting XI: Men’s Soccer vs. UPenn

Sep 20 | Men's Soccer

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The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights take on the Quakers on Monday night at Yurcak Field

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's soccer (6-0-1) hosts UPenn (3-1-1) on Monday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Yurcak Field. For the second time in Jim McElderry's three years at RU, the Scarlet Knights are looking to stay unbeaten through the first eight matches of the season. The 6-0-1 start is the best opening to a campaign "On the Banks" since the 1987 squad began 7-0.

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PREVIOUSLY ON ...

Rutgers opened Big Ten play with an upset at No. 11 Indiana (3-2-1, 0-1-0) by a score of 2-1 on the road in Bloomington Friday night to remain unbeaten in 2021.
The Scarlet Knights erased a 1-0 deficit with two second half goals for the win.
Freshman forward Nico Rosamilia scored the equalizer for Rutgers in the 58th minute, marking his third goal of his young career.
Junior midfielder Jackson Temple recorded the game-winner in the 70th minute with his second goal of the season and ninth of his career.

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SCOUTING THE QUAKERS: Penn is 3-1-1 in non-conference action in 2021 after a 657-day shutdown. Their lone loss was a 2-1 setback against Penn State on Sept. 10, when the Quakers led 1-0 at halftime before succumbing to a pair of second-half goals. Rutgers and Penn have a common 2021 opponent in Mount St. Mary's, whom Penn defeated 5-1 on Friday and Rutgers topped 2-0 on Sept. 6. Matt Leigh (three goals, three assists) and Ben Stitz (two goals, five assists) are tied for the team lead with nine points apiece, while Nick Christoffersen (1-0-1, 0.90 GAA, .600 save%) and Dane Jacomen (1-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .688 save%) split time between the pipes.

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HISTORY VS. PENN: The Quakers hold a 10-7-1 overall advantage in the all-time series that started in 1954, but the recent success has gone to Rutgers with a 3-0-1 record and the Scarlet Knights outscoring the Quakers 9-2 since 2007. UPenn's last win came in 2002 (in Piscataway), with RU victories in 2007, 2014, 2015 (all home), and a 1-1 draw in 2019 in Philadelphia.

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A GARDEN STATE STATEMENT: The stunning 2-1 victory at the three-time defending Big Ten regular season and tournament champions Indiana marked the Scarlet Knights' first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015. Indiana lost its Big Ten opener for just the third time in its storied history, falling to 23-3-5. Scoring twice in the contest, it also marked the first time Rutgers tallied a goal in the series with the Hoosiers since 2015. The win vaulted Rutgers to No. 12 in the nation - the top-ranked Big Ten team - in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings released on Monday. The United Soccer Coaches poll is published on Tuesday and will not take Monday's results into account.

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COMING UP ROSAMILIA: Scarlet Knight rookie Nico Rosamilia launched into the team lead with seven points thanks to his three goals last week, two in the 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's on Monday and the equalizer at No. 11 Indiana Friday. The Roseland, New Jersey native started the first three games of the season, grabbing his first collegiate point on Rutgers' very first goal of the 2021 season, an assist to Thomas DeVizio. Rosamilia is a product of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls development academy, where he netted 12 goals in 2020 and earned "Man of the Match" honors in consecutive weeks against the Montreal Impact and DC United.

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RAKING IN THE HONORS: Rutgers has earned a Big Ten Player of the Week honor in all three weeks to start the 2021 season. Nico Rosamilia is the latest with the Offensive Player of the Week honor on Sept. 14. Thomas DeVizio was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for his two assists in the win over Lehigh from Sept. 10. It was the second national honor of the season, joining Oren Asher's College Soccer News Team of the Week distinction from Sept. 7.

Asher is a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Asher and the defense were one of just two teams in NCAA Division I to post four shutouts in their first four matches. Asher was the only goalkeeper in the nation with 380 minutes played and no goals allowed to start the season. Asher is tied for fourth in the nation with four shutouts, while Rutgers ranks 18th in the nation and first in the Big Ten with a 0.55 goals-against average.

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OUT OF CONFERENCE IS IN: The season opener against Delaware was Rutgers' first non-conference match in 667 days. Last time RU had a non-conference slate, the Scarlet Knights went 6-1-2 out of conference for its fifth-best non-league winning percentage in school history.

Rutgers is now 11-1-3 in non-conference action under head coach Jim McElderry.

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SPRING BACK: Head coach Jim McElderry guided Rutgers not only through a nontraditional pandemic season, but also posted four Big Ten wins and finished in fifth place in the conference along the way - both tying program highs since joining the league in 2014. The conference-only campaign finished 4-4-1 and included historic wins for RU: a first-ever victory in seven tries against Michigan State and the program's first triumph over Maryland since 1995. The season ended with a touch of heartbreak as Maryland outlasted the Scarlet Knights, 5-4, in a penalty shootout at the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals following a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes.

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RU EXPERIENCED?: The vast majority of the group that found so much success last Spring is back for the Fall. The Scarlet Knights welcome back 10 returning starters. In all, 19 players who saw action last Spring return for the Fall, making up 24 of the 27 points scored and 91 percent of the minutes played throughout the roster. Rutgers returns some hardware with graduate student striker Ritchie Barry staying on for his fifth year after being named All-Big Ten Second Team in the Spring.

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NEW KIDS "ON THE BANKS": McElderry recruited seven freshmen and three transfers to make up 10 newcomers on the 2021 Fall roster. Xavi Olmos is a grad transfer from Florida International, while Jason Bouregy (American) and Jace Orvos (Penn State) transfer in as sophomores. The seven first-years include five New Jersey natives - Matthew Acosta, Aurie Briscoe, Bryan Keating, Nico Rosamilia, and Joey Zalinsky - along with Adam Davies from Pennsylvania and Aidan Flynn from the Portland Timbers Academy.

Freshmen Acosta and Zalinsky both made starts in six of the seven games early this season.

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