PROVIDENCE, RI – Sophomore forward Chris Karcz (Clifton, NJ) registered his first goal of the season to open the scoring, then assisted on the final score, to lead 13th-ranked Rutgers to a 3-0 win over Providence College in BIG EAST men’s soccer action. With the win, RU improves to 1-1-1 overall and 1-0 in league play, while Providence falls to 1-2-0.

Karcz, starting his third game at forward after playing in the midfield as a freshman in 2001, registered his first goal at the 28:46-mark off an assist from freshman Yaron Shlomi (North Brunswick, NJ). Karcz received a cross in the box and headed the ball past PC goalkeeper Michael Gruelich, ending a season-long scoring drought that had reached 228 minutes.

Less than eight minutes later, the Scarlet Knights used constant pressure to double its lead as sophomore winger Wes Kirk (Bloomfield, NJ) scored an unassisted goal by beating a pair of defenders in the box and drilling a shot just inside the near post on the right side of the goal.

After the halftime break, RU notched another goal, as freshman Sammy Castellanos (Philadelphia, PA) scored off a feed from Karcz. Karcz served a cross into the box and Castellanos tapped the perfectly-placed pass by Gruelich.

Rutgers outshot PC, 21-6, and held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. Senior Ricky Zinter (Penfield, NY) stopped four shots for his second shutout in three matches this year. Gruelich stopped nine shots for the Friars.

Rutgers, after three-straight road contests, will open its 2002 home slate on Sunday, September 15, when it hosts No. 9 Boston College at Yurcak Field. Time of the match is 5:00 p.m.

Goals by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers.............  2  1 -  3
Providence College..  0  0 -  0