Rutgers men's soccer wins final game of regular season
In their regular-season finale, the Rutgers men’s soccer team rode an explosive offensive second half to beat Ohio State by a score of 4-0 this afternoon at Yurcak Field, led by sophomore forward Colin Beasley and a 1-goal, two-assist outing for junior midfielder Jackson Temple.
The result earns them their third win of the season, getting a critical 3 points in the Big Ten standings ahead of next week’s conference tournament.
The Scarlet Knights (9-5-2, 3-4-1) controlled much of the run of play, generating plenty of early pressure. Sophomore midfielder Jason Bouregy had an early opportunity in the 4th minute, firing a shot from the top of the box over the crossbar.
Rutgers put together a few more chances in a chippy first half but didn’t find the back of the net, until the 35th minute when a ball was played across the six by defender Chris Tiao. Temple tried to finish from close range, but the Buckeyes' (6-9-1, 2-6-0) goalkeeper Noah Lawrence made the save before sophomore forward Ola Maeland put the rebound home for his 2nd goal of the season, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead.
“We talked about, hey, can we score a goal off a rebound? Can we score a goal off something where it's a little messy,” said head coach Jim McElderry after the game. “He kind of got to a good spot. I think we took a shot, it was saved and fell to him.”
In the 47th minute, Temple got a one-on-one opportunity where he slotted the ball past Lawrence for his team-leading 6th goal of the season to make it a 2-0 game.
Rutgers had to weather a storm of pressure and shots from Ohio State in the ensuing 20 minutes. The Buckeyes' best chance came in the 66th minute when a free-kick from Laurence Wootton was crossed to the middle, where a header from Thomas Gilej ricocheted off the left post.
“We probably defended and sat too deep after we scored that 2nd goal,” McElderry said. “But I think our guys got tight and thought, hey, we got to ride this out and win the game.”
In the 80th minute, the Knights got their 3rd goal of the game. Senior defender Thomas DeVizio took the ball into the box from the right flank and squared a ball for Beasley, who fired it into the upper left corner to put the game away.
Four minutes later, Beasley got his 2nd goal, taking a set up from Temple and lofting a powerful shot from the left corner of the box that just bent underneath the crossbar to beat Lawrence.
The brace marks the only 2 goals of the year for Beasley, who has seen his playing time increase as the season progressed.
“[Beasley] played a lot for us in the spring, and this year, just being banged up early on, he just couldn't get a rhythm going,” McElderry said. “And he's really stuck to it, and I'm just really happy for him because he's put a lot of work in.”
The game also served as senior day for the program, and the seniors were honored in the traditional pre-game ceremony. The youth-heavy roster graduates only two seniors this season: DeVizio and midfielder Nick Cruz.
DeVizio has been the starting right back for the Knights, leading them with five assists this season. Cruz has only started in one game this season due to an injury.
“(DeVizio) has been just excellent all season, so I'm not surprised how well he played today,” McElderry said. “And he's a leader for us, which is vital. And I thought Cruz — and I've mentioned this before — he's been a little unlucky with injuries. So I was happy that he had a role in our game today, which was really important.”
Rutgers will take on Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on the road. The Knights will likely remain on the road for the duration of their tournament run unless they play a lower seed in the semifinals or finals.
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