The Rutgers men’s soccer team announced its 2023 regular season schedule on July 6th. The Scarlet Knights will play three scrimmage games in the middle of August before playing 15 regular season games, eight of which are at Yurcak Field. Rutgers is playing two fewer regular season games and three fewer home games than in 2022.
The Knights will play their first scrimmage match on August 12th against Drexel, their second scrimmage match on August 15th against Rider and their last scrimmage match on August 19th against Villanova. All three scrimmages will be played at Yurcak Field at 7 p.m.
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Rutgers’ non-conference schedule will feature more tri-state area teams than in 2022. In 2022, the Knights started off their season with two away games played in Nebraska. This year, Rutgers starts its season traveling to Newark, Delaware, to face off against Delaware on August 24th.
The Knights' first home game will be against St. Johns on August 28th.
Rutgers’ most anticipated non-conference game will be its rematch against UCLA on September 9th. Last year, the Bruins beat the Knights 1-0 at Yurcak Field. This year, Rutgers will travel to Los Angeles, California, to try and get revenge and defeat UCLA.
The Knights will play a tough eight-game Big Ten conference schedule. Rutgers will play home games against Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State. Out of those four teams, only Ohio State was in the top half of the Big Ten standings last year.
A home game to watch out for is the Knights' match against the Spartans on September 17th. Last year, Rutgers lost a shoutout by a score of 4-3 to Michigan State, and will look to get a big home victory this year.
The Knights will play away games against Michigan, Maryland, Northwestern and Indiana. The Wolverines and the Wildcats finished in the bottom two spots in the Big Ten standings in 2022. The Terrapins and the Hoosiers were two of the strongest teams in the Big Ten last year and are projected to be two of the stronger teams in the Big Ten once again in 2023.
Rutgers’ most anticipated match of the season is most likely its final regular season game against Indiana on October 29th. The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament final last year, before eventually losing to Syracuse on penalties. The Knights played Indiana twice last year, scoring a last-second goal to tie the Hoosiers 2-2 in their first game, and beating Indiana 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament final.
The Big Ten Tournament will take place from November 1st to November 12th this season.
With a strong roster, Rutgers will look to recapture its 2022 Big Ten Tournament title and make it back to the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
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