Rutgers men's soccer faces tough road match against No. 12 Northwestern
The Rutgers men's soccer team will finish its two-game road trip with a match against Northwestern on Sunday in Evanston, Illinois. The Scarlet Knights (3-5-2, 1-2-1) are coming into this match off the back of their first conference win against Maryland.
The Wildcats (8-0-3, 2-0-1) are one of the best teams in the country and remain undefeated. No. 12 Northwestern is coming off a scoreless draw with Green Bay.
Last season, Rutgers defeated the Wildcats by a score of 4-2 to earn its first conference win. In that match, graduate student midfielder Jackson Temple, senior midfielder Jason Bouregy and sophomore midfielder Cole Cruthers all chipped in with a goal.
Northwestern currently leads the Big Ten with 7 points. The Wildcats are strong on the attack and have scored a conference-leading 22 goals.
Justin Weiss has scored a Big Ten-leading 6 goals and has provided six assists. Rom Brown is another player that contributes to the offense, as he has 4 goals in 11 starts. Collin McCamy is a goal scorer and playmaker, as he has 2 goals and four assists.
Northwestern is not as sharp on defense and has let in 9 goals.
Jackson Weyman will most likely start between the posts on Sunday. Weyman owns a save percentage of .742 and allows opposing teams to score 1 goal per game in eight starts for the Wildcats.
Northwestern is a very physical team, as it has committed a Big Ten-leading 146 fouls. The Wildcats are also tied for the second-most yellow cards in the conference. This is something that the Knights must take advantage of in order to win free kicks or penalty kicks.
Rutgers has struggled defending this season and has conceded a conference-leading 18 goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton had the best performance of his career last match, making 10 saves to lead the Knights to the win. Dalton will have his work cut out for him on Sunday and will need to remain strong between the posts.
Rutgers will need players such as Temple and sophomore forward Ian Abbey to make a difference in the game. Temple has netted a team-leading 4 goals, while Abbey has 2 goals and one assist.
The game between the Knights and Northwestern will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday and will be played at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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