Rutgers men's soccer blows 2-goal lead in loss to Michigan
The Rutgers men's soccer team traveled to face off against Michigan on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (2-4-2, 0-1-1) conceded 3 goals in the second half to blow a 2-goal lead and lose 3-2 to the Wolverines (2-3-3, 1-0-1).
Rutgers started the game on the front foot, scoring the opening goal off a corner kick in the 3rd minute. Junior midfielder Curt Calov swung the corner kick to freshman defender Erick Ruiz, who headed the ball past Isaiah Goldson to score his 1st collegiate goal and give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Rutgers would continue its momentum with a 2nd goal approximately 17 minutes later. Graduate student midfielder Jackson Temple picked up the ball outside the penalty box, impressively dribbled the ball past two defenders into the box and placed his shot in the bottom left corner of the goal to double the Knights' advantage.
The goal marked Temple's third in three consecutive games.
Rutgers would stay on the attack throughout the first half, but senior midfielder Jason Bouregy's and senior forward Ola Maeland's shots were unable to find the back of the net.
Going into halftime, the Knights had a 2-0 lead and had attempted three more shots than Michigan.
The Wolverines would start to settle into the game in the second half.
Michigan earned a penalty kick in the 53rd minute after junior forward Nico Rosamilia committed a foul in the box. Bryce Blevins stepped up and successfully converted his penalty kick to halve Rutgers' lead.
The Wolverines would use the momentum from their goal to tie the game at 2-2 approximately 1 minute later. Alex Waggoner scored the goal off an assist from Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi.
In the final 30 minutes, both sides battled to take the lead, but Michigan would prevail and score the game-winning goal. In the 72nd minute, Riley Ferch curled his free kick into the bottom left corner past sophomore goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton to complete the Wolverines' comeback.
The Knights pushed to score the equalizing goal but ultimately came up short.
Frustration caught up with Rutgers, as senior defender Saahb Kular received a red card in the 90th minute. The Knights played an overall physical game, committing 15 fouls and receiving four yellow cards and one red card.
Between the posts, Dalton's five saves were not enough for the victory.
Rutgers will look to bounce back when it returns to Yurcak Field on Busch campus to take on Ohio State this Friday. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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