Rutgers men’s soccer defeats Maryland 2-0, moves to 2nd place in B1G

The Rutgers men’s soccer team defeated Maryland on Wednesday by the final score of 2-0. It was the program’s first victory over the Terps since joining the Big Ten and first triumph against them since 1995, ending a 10 game losing streak in the series. At 3-1 this season, the Scarlet Knights are off to its best start since joining the Big Ten seven seasons ago.

Senior transfer Ritchie Barry delivered both goals, while goalkeeper Oren Asher and the defense produced the third shutout of the season.

Rutgers took an early lead as Barry scored off of a rebound in the 9th minute. Freshman Moussa Sbaly earned his first assist after taking the initial shot.

With the Scarlet Knights clinging to a 1-0 lead in the second half, Thomas DeVizio was called for a red card in the 53rd minute and it left RU to play with only ten men the rest of the way. Soon after in the 63rd minute, Barry delivered a beautiful bending shot off a free kick that twirled the twine in the upper left corner of the net for an all important insurance goal.

Asher made two critical saves in the second half as Maryland outshot RU 11-3 with the extra man advantage, but the defense held. Rutgers had a chance to win by an even wider margin, but missed a penalty kick in each half.

Barry has been an impact transfer from St. Joe’s, where he scored 13 goals over three seasons. He now leads the Scarlet Knights with 3 goals this season.

Maryland is now 0-3 after being picked to finish in second place in the coaches preseason poll.

Rutgers is now alone in second place in the Big Ten standings with a 3-1-0 record after being picked to finish seventh out of nine teams in the coaches preseason poll. They’ll next face no. 10 Michigan (2-0-0) at home on Sunday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m. The Wolverines are the only undefeated team remaining in Big Ten play and sit atop the standings. Sunday’s match is a huge opportunity for Jim McElderry’s club to move into first place in the conference, as the team has taken major strides in his second season at the helm.