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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team makes its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, Nov. 19, in a first-round matchup against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE!
The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Network To Go. Fans can follow live stats for free here. Tickets for the men's soccer NCAA First Round contest are $7 for adults, $5 for children under 12, and $3 for groups of 25 or more. Student tickets will be available for $1 with ID.
THE BIG DANCE
The last time the Blackbirds saw NCAA Tournament action was in 2004, when LIU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 1-0 in the NEC championship match to advance to the first round of play. There, LIU fell in the first round, suffering a shutout loss at American, 3-0. The Blackbirds' tournament debut was in 1963, where LIU was edged by Bridgeport in the first round, 3-1. LIU's strongest NCAA Tournament showing came in 1966, when the Blackbirds compiled an impressive 15-2-0 record, and rolled to the NCAA Championship match, before falling just short of the national title to San Francisco, 5-2. LIU returned to the semifinals in 1967, bowing out to Michigan State, 4-0. During that year, All-American Dov Markus, who led the Blackbirds in scoring, was the first recipient of the prestigious M.A.C. Herman Trophy, presented annually to the top collegiate soccer player in the country.
LAST TIME OUT
In yet another thrilling contest, the LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA College Cup and was crowned the 2015 Northeast Conference Tournament champion Sunday afternoon, besting the No. 2 seeded Saint Francis University in its second penalty-kick decision of the tournament. Freshman Rasmus Hansen, senior Tanner Sica and freshman Filip Nordstrom each made their opportunities in the first, second and third rounds of penalty kicks for LIU, while junior goalie Logan Keys made two crucial saves to bring the tally to 3-1 in LIU's favor. SFU's penalty-taker missed wide in the fourth round, clinching the title for the Blackbirds. Keys was named the 2015 NEC Tournament MVP.
ABOUT THE BLACKBIRDS
LIU is set to join the field of 48 after winning two thrilling back-to-back shootouts in the NEC Tournament this past weekend, under the direction of 2015 NEC Coach of the Year TJ Kostecky. Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen leads the Blackbirds in goals (8) and points (20), while also recording four assists on the season so far. Keys is currently ranked fifth save percentage (0.873) and sixth in the nation for goals against average (0.505).
ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers (12-6-1, 4-4-0 Big Ten) earned an at-large bid to the tournament after playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, ranked 29th in RPI. The Scarlet Knights are returning to the 48-team field for the first time since 2011, when they made a surprise run to the Sweet 16. Rutgers produced its first winning season in four years, finishing third in the Big Ten after advancing to the conference tournament semifinals. There, the Knights dropped a 4-0 decision to top-seeded Ohio State. Sophomore Jason Wright has scored 13 of the Scarlet Knights' 39 goals in their 2015 campaign, and records a team-leading 30 points. The Kingston, Jamaica native is currently tied for eighth nationally in game-winning goals, with five.
ALL-TIME SERIES
LIU Brooklyn has taken the field 11 times against Rutgers, proving victorious in eight of those contests since their initial meeting in 1963. Currently, the all-time series record stands at 8-2-1 between the two teams. The Scarlet Knights edged LIU in their last face-off in 2010, with a 2-0 shutout victory at Yurcak Field.
UP NEXT
The winner of the initial round of the NCAA tournament game on Thursday, Nov. 19 will head to the University of Akron to compete in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Men's Soccer Championship Tournament, set for Sunday, Nov. 22.