Rutgers men's soccer prepares for crucial get-right game against Yale
"The conference games are the always easiest ones to say they're the most important, in terms of you're playing for three points for a win and one for a tie, but every game's important for us," said Rutgers men's soccer head coach Jim McElderry after falling 1-0 to Indiana on Friday night.
McElderry is right. Despite being a non-conference game, Tuesday's match against Yale is vitally important for the Scarlet Knights (3-4, 0-1), who are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Rutgers has the chance to march into New Haven, Connecticut, and return to its winning ways against the Bulldogs (0-4, 0-0), who have struggled mightily this season and remain winless.
"It's tough playing on the road, (Yale) will be desperate to win, so we'll have some guys get some opportunities," McElderry said.
As McElderry alluded to, it's likely that players who didn’t get much or any minutes against the Hoosiers (2-2-2, 1-0-0) will get playing time on Tuesday. This could include freshman midfielder and forward Lenny Aviles, senior forward Nico Rosamilia and freshman midfielder Dylan Carlson.
Despite Yale's troubles at the beginning of this season, it won the inaugural Ivy League Tournament last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs did lose key pieces from last year's squad, including Eric Lagos, Max Rogers and Jack Schaffer. Lagos had a team-leading 8 goals last season, while Rogers was a two-way player, scoring 4 goals and dishing out seven assists. Schaffer was a captain and staple on defense, starting 19 games.
Yale does return some key players this season, though, such as TJ Presthus, Quanah Brayboy and starting goalkeeper Chris Edwards. Presthus, the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, started every game last year and scored 2 goals. Brayboy had a team-high nine assists and Edwards boasted eight shutouts.
This is not a guaranteed win for the Knights — the Bulldogs have the talent to pull off an upset and earn their first win of the season. After all, 2 of their 4 losses were only by a 1-goal margin. The other two losses were to Indiana, a team Rutgers lost to, and Denver, the No. 2 ranked team in the country.
It's crucial that the Knights get back on track against Yale, as their schedule will only get more difficult. Rutgers will next travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face an undefeated Ohio State squad, and from there, Big Ten play will be in full swing.
Tuesday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m. at Reese Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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