NCAA chances rest on Big East run

In a season where there are as many quality wins as disappointing losses, the Rutgers men’s soccer team has one final chance to make a statement to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
It begins tonight with a trip to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium for a matchup with West Virginia in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 8-9-0 overall (5-6-0 Big East) and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know they need this game if there is going to be any hope of postseason play.
“Without question this game is vital to our chances [for an NCAA Tournament berth],” said Rutgers head coach Bob Reasso before his team boarded a bus for the six hour drive south to Morgantown. “We didn’t do a good job in some of our past games, but we feel like we can get on a roll, and I told the guys with a winning record and the schedule we’ve played we are going to be one of those teams on the board and in consideration.”
Let’s delve into the Knights’ résumé.
RU played four teams that were ranked in the top-10 at some time this season, with three of those teams — California Santa Barbara, Louisville and Connecticut — still inside the top-10 in the latest NSCCA/Adidas rankings released yesterday. The Scarlet Knights beat two of them: UConn 2-1 on Sept. 20 and South Florida, who was No. 9 at the time, but slipped to 13 in yesterday’s poll, by the same score in the Oct. 31 season finale.
“It helped our confidence greatly because we have the Big East Tournament coming up,” said sophomore forward and leading scorer Ibrahim Kamara after knocking off USF. “We’re going into the tournament with a win and hopefully we can take it from there.”
Yet the Knights also endured a five game losing stretch in which they scored just one goal and suffered a pair of dreadful 3-0 home losses to Villanova and last place Syracuse.
Reasso described the Villanova performance as one of the worst he’s seen in his 29 years at the helm of RU.
“We were flat against Villanova and they played like they needed that game more than us, and it was a big win for them,” Reasso said. “We need to bring intensity and passion to the game Wednesday because the ball is not always going to bounce your way, particularly when you’re on the road.”
The end product — a team sitting on the cusp of a .500 record — could create a headache for anyone on the selection committee. Thus the magnitude of tonight’s game at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (7-4-6, 6-3-2) finished third in the Big East Blue Division behind a stout backline that allowed just 10 goals this season, something that could pose a problem for a RU team that has struggled on the road this season going 2-6.
“We have some positive momentum going right now and we’re looking to make a deep run in the tournament and win in,” said junior defender Andrew Cuevas, who headed home the double overtime game-winner against USF. “We need to maintain a clean sheet and really concentrate on defending before we go forward. If they don’t score, they don’t win the game.”
Cuevas will make his first start at center back since Oct. 10 tonight replacing injured starter Aly Mazhar.
The junior slipped and rolled his left ankle against South Florida and is not making the trip to Morgantown, Reasso said.
“We sat down with Aly and [head trainer Chris D’Andrea] and decided the best decision was to leave him home,” Reasso said. “We are going to miss Aly and his leadership, but at the same time Cuevas scored the game-winner against South Florida and we have complete confidence in him.”
Despite the loss of Mazhar and the Knights’ road difficulties, the head coach said being away could play to his team’s advantage
“West Virginia has the added pressure that they are hosting the semifinal and championship,” Reasso said. “We’ve done that [in the past] and there’s no doubt that, especially in the first game, there is more internal pressure on the guys because they want to make sure that they’re home, in that semifinal or final”
The Knights also want to return to Morgantown and will most likely need to if they want a trip to the NCAA Tournament after missing out the last two seasons.
“Our guys have come through a very difficult season with a very competitive schedule, but they’re feeling good about themselves and I think they’re very excited to play,” Reasso said. “I’m expecting them to have a very good performance.”

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