RU evened its record against WVU in BIG EAST postseason play to 1-1-1 in three meetings. The sixth-seeded Scarlet Knights upset the third-seeded Mountaineers of the Blue Division and will face fellow Red Division rival St. John’s on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in Queens, N.Y. It marks the 10th time Rutgers will play a quarterfinal match in the BIG EAST Championship and fifth meeting against the Red Storm in postseason play.

 

West Virginia entered the match with one of the stingiest defensive units in the BIG EAST. The Mountaineers ranked in the top three of the conference in goals allowed (second, 10), goals-against-average (third, 0.54) and shutouts (third, 10). WVU goalkeeper Zach Johnson is ninth nationally and second in the league with a 0.54 goal against average. He was also third in the BIG EAST with 10 shutouts.

 

“West Virginia is a very good team and I thought we came out and played great,” said head coach Bob Reasso. “The guys were exceptional in the first half. We were up by two [goals] but it could have been more. We scored what would have been our third goal on a corner kick but the referee called a foul which pulled that goal back. It made [the game] a bit dodgier than it should have been. Ahead 3-0 is a much more comfortable lead but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.

 

“I thought we were the better team on the night and that’s why we play such a tough schedule. You take some more losses during the [regular] season but by the time tournament play comes around hopefully you’re guys are ready [to compete]. These were two really good games back-to-back for us and the guys were terrific tonight.”

 

Rutgers made quick work of its chances as sophomore Ibrahim Kamara (North Brunswick, N.J.) tallied his team-leading seventh goal of the season, just five minutes into the contest. Kamara beat a couple West Virginia defenders and slotted a shot past the WVU goalkeeper, who had given up just 10 goals in 17 previous games.

 

The Scarlet Knights put a total of seven shots on goal against the Mountaineers, including an insurance goal in the 35th minute. Freshman Dan Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.), who scored his first collegiate goal on his first-ever shot in RU’s regular-season finale win over USF, posted his second score in as many games to give RU a 2-0 lead.

 

Sophomore Robbie McLarney (Londonderry, N.H.) played a cross to Parr who headed the shot into the back of the net. It was McLarney’s second assist in back-to-back games after connecting on the team’s game winner against USF. The Scarlet Knights have received balanced offensive production throughout the season with seven players combining for the squad’s 21 goals, while 11 different individuals have had a hand in RU’s 19 assists.

 

Sophomore Alex Morgans (Jackson, N.J.) posted his second shutout of the year, making four saves to move to 3-5-0 overall.

 

The semifinal and championship games of the BIG EAST Tournament will be held on Friday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 15, respectively, at Dick Dlesk Stadium on the campus of West Virginia.