The 2022 Big Ten Tournament Champions are looking to pick up right where they left off last year. With Rutgers Men’s Soccer retaining some key personnel, the hopes of victory are strong once again. As the highly anticipated season approaches the preseason awards start to roll in.
The Big Ten announced their players to watch list Monday afternoon, which featured three of Rutgers' finest. Matthew Acosta, Jason Bouregy and Joey Zalinsky are predicted to have stellar seasons for the Scarlet Knights this year and hopefully lead the team to a back-to-back tournament titles.
.@B1GSoccer Players to 👀
📰: https://t.co/Q4O3vdymjP#GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/gAJ1rZgTrI
— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) August 21, 2023
In addition to the Big Ten releasing the Players to Watch List, they also released the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll. The Scarlet Knights placed steady in fourth place behind Maryland, Indiana and Ohio State.
⚽️ The 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 #B1GMSOC Preseason poll is 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀! 🙌
➕ https://t.co/iyhPL1NaiC pic.twitter.com/9NuG8y6xzz
— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) August 21, 2023
Matthew Acosta
The rising junior midfielder has been great for Rutgers during his two years on the banks. The 2022 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree started all 21 games for Rutgers and was first on the team in minutes played with 1,742. Acosta recorded two goals on the season, both occurring in the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana and Penn State. The New Jersey native also recorded three assists on the season for a total of five points on the year. Acosta not only saw success on the field, but also in the classroom as he earned a spot on the 2022 Fall Academic All-Big Ten.
As a freshman, Acosta played and started all 17 games for the Scarlet Knights and finished the season with two points, both being assists. Acosta was also named to the unanimous All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
Jason Bouregy
The rising senior midfielder has been a crucial piece for Rutgers over the past two years with the team. The 2022 All-Big Ten Second Team and ECAC Second Team selection appeared in 20 games and made 16 starts. Bouregy recorded three goals and eight assists for 11 points on the season. Just like Acosta, Bouregy earned himself a spot on the 2022 Fall Academic All-Big Ten list.
As a sophomore, Bouregy appeared in 16 games with eight starts, and recorded one assist on the year. As a freshman at American University, Bouregy appeared in all nine games with five starts. The New Jersey native was tied for assists on the team with three and was third on the team in points with five. Bouregy was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and midfielder of the week once.
Joey Zalinsky
The rising junior defenseman has seen a good amount of success while repping the block R on his chest. Zalinsky started all 19 games he was able to play in and played the entire match all but twice. He ranked second on the team in minutes played with 1,695 and recorded one goal and one assist on the season. Zalinsky joined fellow teammates Bourgey and Acosta on the 2022 Fall Academic All-Big Ten list.
As a freshman, Zalinsky was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and recorded 14 starts in 15 games. The New Jersey Native played the entire game in 11 matches and averaged 88 minutes per contest. Zalinsky helped lead the Scarlet Knight defense to four consecutive shutouts to start the 2022 season for the first time since the 1990 NCAA Championship runner up team.
Full List of 2023 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Players To Watch
Patrick McDonald, Jr., M, Indiana
Collins Oduro, Fr., F, Indiana
Sam Sarver, Jr., F, Indiana
Stefan Copetti, Sr., F, Maryland
Alex Nitzl, Sr., D/M, Maryland
Bjarne Thiesen, Gr., D, Maryland
Bryce Blevins, Sr., M, Michigan
Jason Bucknor, Jr., D, Michigan
Louis Rogers, Sr., M, Michigan
Ugo Achara, Gr., F, Northwestern
Jason Gajadhar, So., M, Northwestern
Justin Weiss, Sr., F, Northwestern
Greyson Mercer, Sr., F, Michigan State
Jake Spadafora, So., F, Michigan State
Jonathan Stout, So., M, Michigan State
Anthony Samways, Jr., D, Ohio State
Deylen Vellios, Sr., D, Ohio State
Laurence Wootton, Sr., M, Ohio State
Femi Awodesu, Sr., D, Penn State
Peter Mangione, Sr., M, Penn State
Kris Shakes, Gr., GK, Penn State
Matthew Acosta, Jr., M, Rutgers
Jason Bouregy, Sr., F, Rutgers
Joey Zalinsky, Jr., D, Rutgers
Tim Bielic, Gr., M, Wisconsin
Nate Crockford, Jr., GK, Wisconsin
Maxwell Keenan, Sr., M, Wisconsin
2023 Big Ten Men’s Soccer PreSeason Poll
- Maryland
- Indiana
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
- Penn State
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Northwestern
- Michigan
Rutgers Men's Soccer Schedule
First game is on August 24th at 7 pm at the University of Delaware vs the Blue Hens.
For full schedule click here.
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