The Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team is ranked in both national soccer polls for the first time in 2016.
The 15-2-0 Scarlet Raiders find themselves ranked No. 7 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and No. 18 by www.D3soccer.com. The dual ranking marks the first time Rutgers-Newark has appeared in both polls since October 14, 2014, and the No. 7 NSCAA rank is the highest in the history of the program.
"It's nice to be recognized, but at the end of the day the rankings don't mean anything at this point," said Scarlet Raider Head Coach Kevin East. "We need to continue to play well and work for each other each game. Our next three opponents are very good and we will have to be at our best in order to earn results."
The Scarlet Raiders have three matches remaining on their schedule, the first match coming Tuesday night at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. Stevens will provide an extremely challenging non-conference test for the Scarlet Raiders as the Ducks (8-4-1) have won 6-of-7 overall and have made the NCAA Tournament 13-straight years dating back to 2003.
After Stevens, the Scarlet Raiders will welcome New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Montclair State University to town on Saturday night looking to avenge a 6-0 2015 loss to the Red Hawks. Prior to the game Rutgers-Newark will honor its seniors and once the two sides kick-off, Newark will be looking to keep its hold on the top spot in the league standings.
The season finale will be at William Paterson University on October 26.
"We need to keep our focus on the next game, and we need to continue doing the little things that have put us in this position," added Coach East.
Rutgers-Newark has won its last nine matches overall and has allowed just one goal against in its last 699 minutes of match time. Since the winning streak began back on September 19, the Scarlet Raiders have outscored the opposition 26-2 and pitched shutouts in seven of those outings.
Rowan University- who the Scarlet Raiders defeated 3-1 Saturday night in front of a raucous Alumni Field crowd – is the only other NJAC program currently in the rankings, checking in at No. 6 in the D3soccer.com poll and No. 10 in the NSCAA ledger. Montclair St. – Saturday's opponent – is receiving votes in the D3soccer.com poll.
Five Fast Facts:
1. Rutgers-Newark is currently tops in the NJAC in standings with 16 points which is one point better than second-place Rowan.
2. The Scarlet Raiders topped Stevens 1-0 in a battle last October on Alumni Field on a Hubert Dultally.
3. Rutgers-Newark is 6-1-0 in the NJAC, 6-0-0 in home matches and 9-2-0 in matches outside of Newark.
4. Fabio De Sousa and Andres Medina received weekly honors from the NJAC on Monday.
5. The last time Rutgers-Newark battled Stevens in Hoboken, the Ducks came out with a 2-1 victory. That game was played on October 22, 2013.
