Rutgers men’s soccer to face Maryland this week
The Rutgers men's soccer team will take on Maryland in College Park, Maryland, tomorrow. The Scarlet Knights (2-5-2, 0-2-1) are coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss to Ohio State.
The Terrapins (1-5-2, 0-3-1) are coming into this match off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Northwestern.
Last season, Rutgers fell to Maryland 3-2. In that match, then-graduate student forward MD Myers scored 2 goals.
Overall, the Knights are 2-11-2 against the Terrapins and have historically struggled against them.
This game might be a good opportunity for Rutgers, as Maryland is currently on a three-game losing streak and remains winless in conference play.
The Terrapins have struggled offensively this season and have scored a conference-low 5 goals. Maryland has also attempted a conference-low 80 shots.
Kimani Stewart-Baynes leads the Terrapins with 5 points off of 1 goal and three assists. Stefan Copetti is another player the Knights backline will have to focus on, as he has scored 1 goal and provided two assists. Last season, Copetti netted 6 goals and dished out three assists.
Maryland is much stronger on defense, as the team has only conceded 9 goals in 8 games.
Mikah Seger is the starting goalkeeper and a key contributor to the team. Seger's .783 save percentage is the fourth-highest in the Big Ten.
Rutgers, on the other hand, has not been sharp on defense. The Knights have allowed a Big Ten-leading 17 goals to be scored against them.
Junior defender Joey Zalinsky has started eight games this season and is one of the more experienced players on defense. Freshman defenders Nick Collins and Erick Ruiz have played more than 400 minutes this season and will look to players such as Zalinsky and graduate student defender Chris Tiao to provide leadership.
Graduate student Jackson Temple did not play in the loss to the Buckeyes (3-4-2, 1-2-0) and will look to provide a spark on offense on Tuesday. Temple leads Rutgers with 10 points off 4 goals and two assists.
The Knights face a tough stretch of consecutive road games this week. Rutgers must get positive results away from home if the team wants to get this season back on track.
The game between the Knights and the Terrapins will begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Maryland. The game will also be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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