#23 Men’s Soccer Blanks #25 UCLA 2-0 to Reach the Big Ten Semifinals
Joshua Jerome scored 83 seconds after coming on and Matty Lynch 145 seconds after his entrance, as Rutgers won its first Big Ten Tournament match since 2022 and set up a semifinal with Washington
Joshua Jerome netted the opening goal for Rutgers after just 83 seconds in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, beating sixth-seeded UCLA 2-0 at Husky Soccer Stadium on Sunday. Rafael Ponce de Leon made five saves, marking Rutgers' sixth clean sheet of the season and their first Big Ten Tournament win since 2022. The Scarlet Knights, ranked No. 23 in the country, had previously defeated UCLA 3-1 at home in the regular season opener by a margin of 58 days.
UCLA arrived at the tournament 9-3-5 and 4-3-3 in the Big Ten, ranking No. 25. They nearly missed the tournament altogether but secured their spot after defeating No. 6 Washington 1-0. The defending champions, UCLA, had a historically strong season, winning the championship in both 2023 and 2024. Their attack was led by defenders Castano and Amaro, who contributed six goals and five assists, respectively.
Despite being the higher-seeded team, Rutgers emerged victorious, securing their place in the Big Ten semifinals after a strong season that included a 4-1 win at Michigan State and a 2-0 win over UCLA.
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