Rutgers
Maryland
Men's Soccer to Host No. 6 Maryland Tuesday Night
Oct 05 | Men's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. āĀ Rutgers men's soccer willĀ face its first of two ranked Big Ten opponents this week, hostingĀ No.Ā 6 MarylandĀ on Tuesday night.Ā Ā
Match DetailsĀ Ā
Rutgers (5-4-1,Ā 3-1 Big Ten) vs. #6 MarylandĀ (6-2-1,Ā 1-2-1Ā Big Ten)Ā Ā
6Ā p.m. ET |Ā Tuesday,Ā Oct.Ā 6Ā
Yurcak Field | Piscataway, N.J.Ā Ā
TV: Big Ten NetworkĀ
Last Time OutĀ Ā Ā
The Scarlet Knights raced out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating Northwestern (5-4-1, 2-2-0), 4-0, on Friday night at Yurcak Field.Ā Ā
The Scarlet Knights scored three goals in the opening nine minutes, quickly taking control of the match.Ā Pius SsebulimeĀ opened the scoring in the third minute with a diving header, beforeĀ Dan KarstenĀ doubled the lead in the eighth minute with a right-footed strike off a loose ball in the box following a Rutgers throw-in.Ā
Never a doubt šÆ #GoRU | #RUMS https://t.co/GyKzJVF6Pk
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 4, 2026
Just overĀ a minute later,Ā Amer LukovicĀ added a third, finishing with his left foot after a long pass fromĀ Devon Stopek.Ā RutgersĀ carried the 3-0 advantage into halftime.Ā Ā
The Scarlet Knights added to their lead in the 71st minute, as Lukovic beat a Northwestern defender before finishing for his second goal of the night.Ā Simon GorczowskiĀ provided the assist on the play asĀ RutgersĀ closed out the 4-0 victory.Ā Ā
Twice as nice āļø #GoRU | #RUMS https://t.co/2n1rS5MbB4
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 3, 2026
Heating UpĀ
RutgersĀ hasĀ been on a heater, winning four of its last five games, including three ranked victories.Ā RU has netted 11 goals in the stretch as well,Ā defeating all but one opponent by two or more goals.Ā Ā
Amer Lukovic has stepped up for the offense,Ā recording five points in the most recent outing against the Wildcats,Ā with a brace and an assist.Ā He paces the team with two goals and four assists eight points heading into the finalĀ six games of the regular season.Ā Ā
Rammel to the Rutgers Hall of FameĀ Ā
Steve Rammel wasĀ officially inducted into theĀ Rutgers AthleticsĀ Hall of Fame classĀ on FridayĀ at Jersey Mike's Arena.Ā Ā
Congratulations to our guy Steve Rammel on officially being inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame š #GoRU | #RUMS https://t.co/xTEHZ9HwMH
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 3, 2026
RammelĀ led the Rutgers men's soccer team to back-to-back Final Fours in 1989 and 1990 as the Scarlet Knights accumulated a 40-7-2 record with him in the lineup.Ā Ā
As a senior, Rammel earned All-America honors as he led the Scarlet Knights to the championship game in a contest that came down to penalty kicks. A runner-up for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college soccer player in America, and the 1990 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, he recorded 17 goals in each of his two years at Rutgers after transferring from Connecticut.Ā Ā
In the record book, Rammel is currently the Scarlet Knights' ninth-ranked all-time scorer with 84 career points.Ā Ā
Following his Scarlet Knight career, Rammel was invited to the U.S national team camp and played with the B-team in the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England. The same year, he became a member of the US National Team and played seven games with Penn-Jersey Spirit of the American Professional Soccer League.Ā Ā
From 1991-1993, Rammel played for German lower-division clubs SC Norderstedt and Tus Celle before returning stateside to earn a master's degree in finance while serving as an assistant coach with UMass.Ā Ā
In 1996, Rammel joined the Washington Mustangs of the USISL and wasĀ acquiredĀ on loan to D.C. United of the MLS. With the United, he became a 1996 All-Star, scoring 17 goals, including the first MLS hat trick in a May 15, 1996, victory over the Columbus Crew. In addition, he helped the team win the 1996 MLS Cup and US Open Cup Championships. Rammel also spent time on the rosters of the Colorado Rapids and NJ/NY MetroStars before retiring in 1999.Ā Ā
Rammel continued his coaching career following his professional career, including serving as the top assistant at UCLA and helping the Bruins to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a College Cup appearance in 1999. He also spent five seasons as the head coach at Saint Mary's, coaching 20 players to All-West Coast Conference Honors and was an assistant coach in the MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Rammel stayed involved behind the scenes, as he served as the Executive Director of Orlando City Youth (2012-15), Executive Director of the West Florida FlamesĀ FutbolĀ Club (2015-16) and Santa Rose United (2007-08).Ā Ā Ā
A native of West Deptford, New Jersey, where he was a Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year and Philly Inquirer South Jersey Athlete of the Year with an 81-10-5 record and two state championships behind 90 goals, Rammel graduated from Rutgers in 1991 with a degree in economics.Ā
The ReturnersĀ Ā Ā
Rutgers returns 17 student-athletes who saw action during the 2025 season, including seven players who started at least 12 matches.Ā Ā Ā
The Scarlet Knights bring back three key pieces of the backline in Collins,Ā Braxton MontgomeryĀ andĀ Devon Stopek, all of whom appeared in every match last season.Ā Ā Ā
In addition, Rutgers returns eight of its 10 goal scorers from a year ago, accounting for 17 of the team's goals in 2025.Ā Ā Ā
Welcoming the NewcomersĀ Ā Ā
McElderry and his staff welcomed 11 newĀ facesĀ "OnĀ TheĀ Banks" during the offseason, including seven transfers and four first-year players.Ā Ā Ā
The transfer class brings veteran talent from across the country,Ā combining forĀ 103 career games of collegiate experience.Ā Ā Ā
Transfers:Ā Rafael Ponce de LeonĀ (Northwestern),Ā Charlie KitchĀ (Elon),Ā Pius SsebulimeĀ (Gardner-Webb),Ā Zach MastrodimosĀ (UCLA),Ā William PierceĀ (Fairfield),Ā Jan ZiewiecĀ (Hofstra) andĀ Abubaker MayanjaĀ (UNC)Ā Ā Ā
First Years:Ā Brian Nascimento,Ā Julian Chapman,Ā Noah HannawaldĀ andĀ Hector CriadoĀ Ā
Up NextĀ Ā Ā
RutgersĀ willĀ hit the road to face No. 19 Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.Ā Ā
Follow Rutgers Men's Soccer on Social MediaĀ Ā Ā Ā
