Rutgers men's soccer dominates offensively, settles for tie with Yale
A season-high 20 shots were attempted, but the Rutgers men's soccer team only scored 1 goal in its 1-1 tie with Yale on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights (3-4-1, 0-1-0) dominated the game from start to finish but had to come from behind to earn a draw against the Bulldogs (0-4-1, 0-0-0).
Rutgers had the first big chance of the game in the 3rd minute. Off a throw-in, sophomore defender Devon Stopek played a direct pass to senior midfielder Curt Calov, who flicked it onto sophomore defender Nick Collins. Collins shot the ball, but it rattled off the crossbar.
Calov and Collins linked up again approximately 7 minutes later. On the in-swinging corner kick, Collins headed Calov's cross on goal, forcing Yale goalkeeper Chris Edwards to tip it over the bar.
The Bulldogs began to settle into the match and found success attacking the right flank of the Knights' backline, with Aydin Jay testing junior goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton for his first save of the night in the 24th minute.
Junior forward Ian Abbey saw a lot of the ball, showcasing his pace and dribbling skills as a right-winger, forcing Edwards into two saves in short succession.
Calov had a chance to score his 5th goal of the season in the 40th minute. While having his shirt tugged by a Yale defender, freshman midfielder Thomas Angelone did well to keep the ball and played a pass to Calov, who shot the ball at Edwards' legs.
Despite not finding the back of the net, Rutgers was in control at halftime. It had eight shots with five on target, while the Bulldogs only attempted two in the first 45 minutes.
The Knights continued pushing for the opening goal, with senior defender Bryan Keating and freshman forward Matty Lynch placing shots on target early to begin the second half.
But Yale would strike first in the 60th minute. A cross into the box by Nick Miller deflected off the feet of freshman defender Arnar Adalsteinsson and fell to Joseph Farouz, who wasted no time and slotted the ball into the back of the net for his 2nd goal of the season.
In the 72nd minute, Rutgers came inches to scoring the equalizer. Junior midfielder Cole Cruthers took a shot on the edge of the box, which deflected off a Bulldog defender and was saved by a diving Edwards for his ninth save of the match.
The Knights' dominance paid off as they leveled the game in the 82nd minute. Abbey found space and took a low shot, which Edwards parried back into the box. Graduate student forward Ola Maeland got on the end of the rebound and tapped the ball into the net for his 3rd goal of the season.
Rutgers had a season-high 20 shots and 11 on goal but struggled to beat Edwards, who had a career-high 10 saves. The tie is a good result overall for the Knights, but they'll surely feel like they should've won the game with all the chances they missed.
Rutgers will remain on the road for a tough matchup against Ohio State on Sunday. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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