It was a breezy and nice knight "On the Banks" on Tuesday as Rutgers took down Big Ten foe Penn State 2-1. Early offensive action and dominance propelled the Scarlet Knights over a late rally by the Nittany Lions.
The victory for Rutgers is a huge one, as the team only has two games remaining in the regular season.
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) October 17, 2023
Scoring Recap
The Scarlet Knights found the back of the net first in the 18th minute, courtesy of Matt Acosta. Acosta's shot was just outside of the box and squeaked into the net off of a lucky bounce off a Penn State defender's leg. It was a great result for the Scarlet Knights, but a tough break for the Nittany Lions.
18' | MATTY!!!
Matt Acosta scores to put RU in front, 1-0🤩
📺 @BigTenNetwork
📊 https://t.co/xsaBlT5Ave #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/3v0rvkK3Vm— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 17, 2023
The Scarlet Knights found themselves back in the scoring column 16 minutes later off of a great give-and-go look from the left side of the box. Ola Maeland had the laser finish, while Jackson Temple made the nice helper.
34' | ANOTHA ONE!!
Maeland makes it a 2-0 contest👏
📺 @BigTenNetwork
📊 https://t.co/xsaBlT5Ave #GoRU | #RUMS pic.twitter.com/uZClpBioHw— Rutgers Men's Soccer (@RUMensSoccer) October 17, 2023
In the 89th minute, Penn State got within one, but there wasn't enough time left in the match to do any more damage. An unfortunate score very late in the match that leaves a sour taste in Rutgers' fans mouths.
Breaking It Down
The Scarlet Knights were dominating the shot game in the first half, releasing 10 in total and five on goal. However, Penn State was doing a stellar job in net, stopping three out of five attempts by Rutgers. The Nittany Lions were still getting opportunities in the first half, however they could capitalize. They had five corner opportunities and five shots, with none of them being on goal.
In the second half it was a much different match between these two foes. Rutgers released only two shots with one of them being on net. Penn State on the other hand released 14 shots with 4 being on goal. Thankfully for Rutgers Ciaran Dalton was solid in net, stopping three of the four attempts. The Nittany Lions continued to draw corner opportunities, taking another five in the second half.
Aside from the defensive and offensive action, it was a gritty and physical battle as both teams recorded 11 fouls. However, there is nothing like the Rutgers-Penn State rivalry so this type of play is expected and almost encouraged.
Despite trailing in almost every stat column the Scarlet Knights got the job done at home and picked up another crucial Big Ten victory. Rutgers moves to 5-6-2 overall and 3-3-1 in conference, while Penn State drops to 7-3-3 overall and 3-2-1 in conference.
Team Statistics
| RUT | Penn State | |
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Shots | 12 | 19 |
| Shots on Goal | 6 | 4 |
| Saves | 3 | 4 |
| Corners | 3 | 10 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
| Fouls | 11 | 11 |
Rutgers Men’s Soccer Next Game
- Time and Date: October 21 at 1:00 PM EST
- Vs: Northeastern
- Location: Brookline, Mass - Northeastern University
- Watch: Flo Sports
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