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Syracuse University
Rutgers
Road Swing Continues Friday At Rutgers
9/30/2009 11:44:40 AM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange (1-8-0, 0-4-0) concludes a three-match road trip on Friday, Oct. 2 when it visits Yurcak Field for a 7 p.m. game against BIG EAST Red Division leader Rutgers (5-3-0, 3-1-0). The contest is the first divisional match for both teams and it will be televised on a tape-delayed basis in New Jersey on Verizon FiOS TV.
FiOS TV is Verizon's fiber television network, which is currently available to more than 9.2 million homes in 14 states, including California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Verizon subscribers should check their local listings for when the match is scheduled to air.
Live stats for the game can be accessed by clicking here.
UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
Friday's match at Rutgers will mark the first time since the 2007 season the Orange will make a television appearance. Two years ago, Syracuse played in front of a live national television audience on ESPNU when it hosted St. John's on Halloween night at the SU Soccer Stadium.
OLIVETTI RETURNS TO ORANGE LINEUP
Sophomore midfielder Nick Olivetti saw his first game action of the 2009 season when he entered the Connecticut match midway through the first half. Olivetti took the field in the 27th minute and played 56 minutes in the contest. The Lewisburg, Pa. native sat out the team's first eight games due to injury. Olivetti had a breakout year as a redshirt freshman in 2008. He started 14 games and netted the first goal of his career in the Orange's 3-0 win against Providence.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
Rutgers leads the Red Division with nine points after opening conference play with consecutive victories against Blue Division foes Providence, Connecticut and Seton Hall before a 2-0 loss at Georgetown on Sept. 27 ended the winning streak. Against the Hoyas, Rutgers was forced to play a man down when leading scorer Yannick Salmon was dismissed after being issued a red card in the 33rd minute. Because of the ejection, Salmon won't be able to play Friday against the Orange.
A transfer from Maryland, Salmon is tied for the league points (7) and goals (3) lead in BIG EAST matches, and he scored both Rutgers goals in a 2-1 home victory against Connecticut on Sept. 20. Salmon has four goals on the year and he is tied with sophomore Ibrahim Kamara for the team lead. In addition to Salmon and Kamara, the Scarlet Knights have gotten an offensive spark from Baldwinsville, N.Y. native Nate Bourdeau. The 2007 Syracuse Post-Standard Player of the Year, Bourdeau attended Boston College before transferring to Rutgers for the 2009 season. Bourdeau has started every game this year and has two goals and an assist for a total of five points.
Defensively, head coach Bob Reasso has turned to backup goalkeeper Adam Klink for the last two games after an injury to freshman starter Jake Grinkevich in the Connecticut match. Klink came in and helped the Scarlet Knights defeat the Huskies and has started the team's last two games. He has 15 saves and a 0.96 goals-against average. Grinkevich started the first six contests and recorded 17 saves on the season prior to his injury.
Reasso is in his 28th season as the head coach at Rutgers and he owns a career record of 361-187-76. He ranks in the top 10 among active coaches in wins and he is 15th in NCAA history in career victories. The 1990 National Coach of the Year, Reasso has guided the Scarlet Knights to 13 NCAA Tournaments.
SYRACUSE-RUTGERS SERIES
Rutgers leads the series between the two teams, 8-6-1. The Scarlet Knights joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995 and the two teams have met at least once every year since. Syracuse won three consecutive matches from 2000-02 and the series is tied at 4-4-1 in the last nine pairings.
