10-man Rutgers men's soccer fends off Lehigh for second straight win
In its first road trip of the season, the Rutgers men’s soccer team defeated Lehigh 2-0 on Monday night. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-0) played stout defense to limit the Mountain Hawks (1-2-1, 0-0) to just two shots on target despite being a man down.
Just like in the last game, Rutgers found the back of the after less than 6 minutes of play. The goal came from senior midfielder Curt Calov, who now has a team-high 4 goals, surpassing his tally from last season.
From there, the game's tempo slowed, with neither side creating clear-cut scoring chances.
Right before halftime, the Knights were dealt a blow to their backline, as they received a red card for the second straight game. This time, freshman defender Arnar Adalsteinsson was sent off after pushing a Lehigh attacker on the edge of the box.
At halftime, Rutgers was able to defend its 1-0 lead and hold the Mountain Hawks to five shots, none of which were on target. The Knights also had five shots and put three on goal.
Lehigh came out of the locker room pushing for the equalizer, looking to take advantage of the extra player.
In the 61st minute, Beckett Wenger fired a shot at junior goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton. Perry Kingson got on the rebound of Dalton’s save, but his headed attempt hit off the post and was cleared off the line by a scrambling Rutgers defense.
With the Mountain Hawks playing very attacking, the Knights were able to take advantage on the counterattack. In the 71st minute, graduate student forward Ola Maeland linked up with Calov, who fired a shot at Lehigh goalkeeper Blake Koski, but his effort was parried away.
Rutgers put the game to bed with a late goal from senior defender Bryan Keating, scoring his 2nd career goal.
The Knights successfully withstood every Mountain Hawk attack, earning their second straight win and first shutout of the season.
Rutgers will remain on the road for its next contest on Friday against Providence. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on FloSports+.
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