The famous cliché states that, “lightning never strikes twice.” As it appears the Ranked Reapers of Rutgers University do not seem to associate themselves with this logic.
The Scarlet Knights strike again, this time against a ranked opponent they had already dethroned back on Sept. 11 of this year. The Big Ten Tournament kicked off on Sunday Nov. 8 with two quarterfinal bouts; (5) Maryland vs (4) Michigan State and (3) Rutgers vs (6) UCLA. The first finished in an upset with Maryland defeating Michigan State and the latter with Rutgers beating UCLA for the second time this year.
In that early-September fixture Rutgers was kicking off their Big Ten regular season conference play against an opponent ranked 11th in the country. This game was preceded by a fairly disappointing start to the campaign with the Scarlet Knights only picking up one win in five outings where they only managed to beat Sacred Heart and draw versus American. With two ranked losses in those matches it would be fair to believe they would struggle against another team considered one of the 15 best in the country. This was certainly not the case as Rutgers shocked the West Coast University and soundly beat them 3-1. This would be the first of many ranked wins they would accrue over the course of the 2026 season.
This past Sunday, third seeded and 23rd-ranked Rutgers hosted a rematch between themselves and sixth seeded and 25th-ranked UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals. Both teams arrived at Husky Soccer Stadium in Washington off the back of top 10 victories and only separated by South Carolina in national rankings. Given both teams had already been granted the opportunity to dissect the other’s strengths and weaknesses the stage was set for a profoundly compelling 90 minutes of soccer.
What a 90 minutes it was, the occasion delivered a memorable, high octane battle that saw regular season performances elevated to another level with the consequence of elimination coming as a result of a loss. Rafael Ponce De Leon, Rutgers’ outstanding goalkeeper made two critical saves early on in the game in the 10th and 13th minute to establish himself as one of the difference makers on the day. The vigorous tempo of the first half can be summarized through the fact there were a total of 11 shots (six from UCLA and five from Rutgers) taken throughout it. Of these 11 shots, one from Joshua Jerome of Rutgers managed to find the back of the net in the 33rd minute. This moment of brilliance came off the back of a controlled lay off from Erick Ruiz who settled down a sporadically traveling ball that was booted into the box by Amer Lukovic just over the midfield line.
Rutgers entered the second half up 1-0 and full of confidence, which they were able to concentrate into another opportunity on net just three minutes after play resumed. In the 48th minute Francesco Di Ponzio turned over possession of the ball from UCLA and picked out Matty Lynch deep in the Bruins’ own half. Lynch dribbled to the outside of the incoming defender and slid past him into the penalty area where he would double the Scarlet Knight’s lead by tucking the chance away. The second half followed the same script that played out in the first one, but shifted up a gear as the intensity increased and the total shots went from 11 to 15.
UCLA put in a valiant effort to mount a comeback as every Rutgers attempt appeared to be mirrored by the Bruins. They put on an entertaining display to prevent the possibility of elimination, but the aforementioned Ponce De Leon would stand tall and ensure the fate of the Los Angeles based school was sealed. In the twilight of the match, he pulled out two incredible saves (in the 82nd and 87th minute) maintaining Rutgers’ clean sheet whilst securing their place in the semifinals.
Rutgers will again play at Husky Soccer Stadium, this time in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal game, on Wednesday, November 11 at 9 p.m. against the number two seed and hosts in Washington. The two met in a late September game at the same venue where they combined for 28 total shots and of those over half (15) being on target. The game ended in a 4-1 Huskies victory courtesy of Washington’s Zach Ramsey who finished with a brace and a masterclass from their goalkeeper Stockton Short between the posts. The scoreline separated the two sides by three goals, but anyone who watched the match knows the teams performed at relatively similar levels.
This idea of Rutgers and Washington being on comparable levels of talent is cemented by the fact all important statistics from their first meeting were nearly identical and the way their regular season played out meant they finished third on 19 points and second on 20 points respectively. For any soccer supporting neutral this is bound to be a firework fixture. These two highly-skilled schools will clash in an effort to claim their right to play in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Match on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. on the field of the highest seeded semifinal winner.
