They're a sneaky bunch. The RU men's soccer team wasn't looked at as a contender. In fact, they were pretty much ignored, as shown by the preseason coaches' poll:
BIG TEN MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Maryland
2. Indiana
3. Penn State
4. Michigan State
5. Ohio State
6. Northwestern
7. Michigan
8. RUTGERS
9. Wisconsin
Yeah, well, that was then and this is now:
2015 Men's Soccer Standings
Conference | Overall | ||||
W-L-T | % | Pts. | W-L-T | % | |
RUTGERS | 4-3-0 | .571 | 12 | 10-4-1 | .700 |
Ohio State | 3-2-1 | .583 | 10 | 9-5-2 | .625 |
Maryland | 2-1-3 | .583 | 9 | 7-4-4 | .600 |
Northwestern | 3-3-0 | .500 | 9 | 6-6-2 | .500 |
Michigan | 2-2-2 | .500 | 8 | 7-4-3 | .607 |
Michigan State | 2-2-2 | .500 | 8 | 7-6-2 | .533 |
Penn State | 2-3-2 | .429 | 8 | 6-6-3 | .500 |
Indiana | 2-3-1 | .417 | 7 | 9-4-2 | .667 |
Wisconsin | 1-2-3 | .417 | 6 | 4-9-3 | .344 |
Updated through 10/25.
The Buckeyes were downed by RU at Yurcak Field on Sunday, but they have two B1G games yet to play, against Maryland on Halloween and Michigan on Nov. 4, both at home. Maryland, currently in third place, has Ohio State and Rutgers (Nov. 4) remaining. Rutgers needs to win its last B1G game and get some help from a faltering OSU in one of their games for a title. An RU win plus two OSU wins creates a tie for the regular season title, although RU has the head-to-head.
Against the Buckeyes, leading scorer Jason Wright scored the game-winner in the 74th minute of action taking a rebound off a saved shot by Miles Hackett into the back of the OSU net. The Scarlet Knight defense, meanwhile, earned its second straight and sixth shutout of the season.
It is the longest wins streak for the Scarlet Knights since 1997. Ohio State had an eight-game win and 10-game unbeaten streak halted. The Buckeyes, in their first loss since Sept. 11, dropped to 9-5-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the conference.
"It was a battle. That win comes from the heart and it comes from a mindset not to lose. Ohio State is a fantastic team, but I thought our guys defensively did a great job," said head coach Dan Donigan. "I was pleased with how we responded after going up 1-0. It's great, we're working hard. You love to be here every year. We're proud of the work our players have put in and the results they have gotten on the field. It's very gratifying and rewarding for us."
The latest RPI rankings put Rutgers at No. 34. And....
#RFutbol joins the Top 25 in this week's TDS Poll. Riding a six-game win streak, the Scarlet Knights enter the week at No. 21.
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 26, 2015
And for good measure.....
Sophomore forward Jason Wright was named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week as the Rutgers men's soccer team made appearances in both the CSN and TopDrawerSoccer Top 25 Poll on Monday. Rutgers enters the week at No. 21 in the TopDrawerSoccer Poll and at No. 22 in the CSN Poll.
Wright netted both game-winners in last week's wins. He put away the game-winner in the 20th minute against Army West Point and notched the lone goal in RU's upset of No. 18 Ohio State in the 74th minute to put the Scarlet Knights atop the Big Ten Conference standings.
On the year, Wright leads the Big Ten with 29 points, 13 goals and five-game winners. Nationally, he is second in total goals, third in goals per game and fourth in total points.
Results and upcoming games
10/25/15 | vs. Ohio State * | Yurcak Field |
1:00 p.m. ET |
10/31/15 | vs. Nebraska-Omaha | Yurcak Field |
1:00 p.m. ET |
11/04/15 | at Maryland * | College Park, Md. | 7:00 p.m. ET |
Women Keep Rolling
The women's team just doesn't quit.
No. 12 #RFutbol tops No. 19 Minnesota, 3-1, Friday night. RU ends reg. season 9-0-1 at home & 3-0 vs ranked foes. pic.twitter.com/8juTSNA3sf
— RutgersWomensSoccer (@RUWSoccer) October 24, 2015
The win over the Gophers all but guaranteed that Rutgers will host games in the first two rounds of the Big Ten tournament that begins this coming Sunday. The visitors got on the board first, but three unanswered scores from junior Jessica Puchalski in the 42nd, Erin Smith in the 58th, and Colby Ciarrocca in the 60th put the Golden Gophers (11-4-3, 6-3-1 Big Ten) away in the pivotal conference match.
"The goal at the end of the first half was big. Then we got inside and we were able to talk about what we needed to do," said head coach Mike O'Neill. "We just talked about how we didn't play our best, it's 1-1, now let's go out and play our best, and the ladies responded so well."
2015 Women's Soccer Standings
Conference | Overall | ||||
W-L-T | % | Pts. | W-L-T | % | |
Wisconsin | 8-1-1 | .850 | 25 | 11-4-3 | .694 |
Penn State | 7-2-1 | .750 | 22 | 12-3-2 | .765 |
RUTGERS | 6-2-2 | .700 | 20 | 13-2-2 | .824 |
Michigan | 6-2-2 | .700 | 20 | 11-5-2 | .667 |
Northwestern | 6-3-1 | .650 | 19 | 12-4-2 | .722 |
Minnesota | 6-3-1 | .650 | 19 | 11-4-3 | .694 |
Ohio State | 4-4-2 | .500 | 14 | 9-5-3 | .618 |
Michigan State | 4-4-2 | .500 | 14 | 8-5-4 | .588 |
Illinois | 3-4-3 | .450 | 12 | 9-5-3 | .618 |
Nebraska | 3-5-2 | .400 | 11 | 7-7-2 | .500 |
Purdue | 3-6-1 | .350 | 10 | 8-8-1 | .500 |
Indiana | 0-6-4 | .200 | 4 | 3-9-6 | .333 |
Iowa | 1-8-1 | .150 | 4 | 7-9-1 | .441 |
Maryland | 1-8-1 | .150 | 4 | 6-11-1 | .361 |
Updated through 10/25.
The close of Big Ten action on Wednesday sees Penn State hosting Michigan (Go Blue!) while the Knights travel to Iowa.
From an NCAA tournament perspective, Rutgers is in a good place. The win over Minnesota pushed the Knights up in the RPI, a key component in seeding teams in the tourney.
.@RUWSoccer up to #4 in RPI! #CHOP https://t.co/oAvLrNHYuN
— Rutgers247 (@TheChopNation) October 26, 2015
And the icing on the cake for the week
#RFutbol Center back Brianne Reed one of 10 NCAA women's finalists for the @SnrCLASSAward! https://t.co/g6pw5PSePy pic.twitter.com/pVomt52oSV
— RutgersWomensSoccer (@RUWSoccer) October 26, 2015
Results and upcoming games
10/28/15 | at Iowa * | Iowa City, Iowa | 7:00 p.m. ET |
Big Ten Tournament | |||
11/01/15 | Big Ten Quarterfinals | Campus Sites (Highest Seed) | TBA |
11/06/15 | Big Ten Semifinals | Campus Sites (Highest Seed) | TBA |
11/08/15 | Big Ten Championship | Campus Site (Highest Seed) | TBA |