Rutgers University Athletic Communications
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 20 Denver put up an early goal and the Pioneer defense was able to thwart the No. 25 Rutgers men's soccer attack to hold on for the 1-0 win on Sunday at Yurcak Field.
The Pioneers' Alex Underwood was able to slip the ball into the Scarlet Knight net two minutes into the contest. Underwood controlled a rebound off the RU defense off a cross from the right side and placed the ball into the left post.
"You can't give up an early goal. Unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize and get behind them," said head coach Dan Donigan. "(Denver) did a great job of sustaining what we could throw at them. I felt we were on them for the most part, but they had the lead for 88 minutes of the game. We were the ones that had to chase and push the game. They capitalized on a great opportunity early in the game and credit their management and the effort they gave to defend us. I was happy with our tactical approach to the game, because I felt that we gave ourselves a chance. You just can't give up that goal."
While the Denver offense continued to pressure with five more shots thru the game's next 20 minutes, Rutgers controlled field position to close out the half.
Miles Hackett had two of his three attempts of the first half stopped by Pioneer netminder Nick Gardner. Hackett tried to find the gap at the near left post in the 29th minute and followed in the 33rd minute from the right post. He collected the rebound after his second shot was punched out by Gardner, but Hackett's next attempt was ultimately blocked the Denver defense.
The Scarlet Knights also had a chance in between Hacketts' attempts with a scramble in the box. Ahmad Faheem tried a blast from 17-yards out, but the RU shot was again denied by the Pioneer defense.
In the closing moments of the half, the Scarlet Knights were on the attack following a Denver goal kick. Dante Perez's strike, however, was blocked just inside the 18.
RU maintained possession for most of the second half in Pioneer territory. Jason Wright had an opportunity with a free kick from 20-yards out but was stopped by the Denver wall at the 70-minute mark.
Denver, who held a 10-8 edge in shots, closed out the game with four late attempts, but was denied an insurance tally.
In goal, RU's David Greczek made two saves, while his counterpart, Gardner, ended the afternoon with three saves.
The loss drops the Scarlet Knights to 0-2, with both losses coming from top 25 opponents, while Denver improved to 1-0-1.
"We feel that Friday's game with Creighton was a tough game and today we played better. We can play with these teams. We are going on the road with a mindset to get wins over tough teams. We are battle tested and we know we can compete," added Donigan.
The Rutgers men's soccer team hits the road for contests at No. 24 South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 2 and No. 22 Charlotte on Sunday, Sept. 4. Both games kick off at 4 p.m.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
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The Pioneers' Alex Underwood was able to slip the ball into the Scarlet Knight net two minutes into the contest. Underwood controlled a rebound off the RU defense off a cross from the right side and placed the ball into the left post.
"You can't give up an early goal. Unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize and get behind them," said head coach Dan Donigan. "(Denver) did a great job of sustaining what we could throw at them. I felt we were on them for the most part, but they had the lead for 88 minutes of the game. We were the ones that had to chase and push the game. They capitalized on a great opportunity early in the game and credit their management and the effort they gave to defend us. I was happy with our tactical approach to the game, because I felt that we gave ourselves a chance. You just can't give up that goal."
While the Denver offense continued to pressure with five more shots thru the game's next 20 minutes, Rutgers controlled field position to close out the half.
Miles Hackett had two of his three attempts of the first half stopped by Pioneer netminder Nick Gardner. Hackett tried to find the gap at the near left post in the 29th minute and followed in the 33rd minute from the right post. He collected the rebound after his second shot was punched out by Gardner, but Hackett's next attempt was ultimately blocked the Denver defense.
The Scarlet Knights also had a chance in between Hacketts' attempts with a scramble in the box. Ahmad Faheem tried a blast from 17-yards out, but the RU shot was again denied by the Pioneer defense.
In the closing moments of the half, the Scarlet Knights were on the attack following a Denver goal kick. Dante Perez's strike, however, was blocked just inside the 18.
RU maintained possession for most of the second half in Pioneer territory. Jason Wright had an opportunity with a free kick from 20-yards out but was stopped by the Denver wall at the 70-minute mark.
Denver, who held a 10-8 edge in shots, closed out the game with four late attempts, but was denied an insurance tally.
In goal, RU's David Greczek made two saves, while his counterpart, Gardner, ended the afternoon with three saves.
The loss drops the Scarlet Knights to 0-2, with both losses coming from top 25 opponents, while Denver improved to 1-0-1.
"We feel that Friday's game with Creighton was a tough game and today we played better. We can play with these teams. We are going on the road with a mindset to get wins over tough teams. We are battle tested and we know we can compete," added Donigan.
The Rutgers men's soccer team hits the road for contests at No. 24 South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 2 and No. 22 Charlotte on Sunday, Sept. 4. Both games kick off at 4 p.m.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMensSoccer) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RUMensSoccer) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
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