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NEWARK, N.J. (August 31, 2017) – The eighth-ranked Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team will begin its 2017 season Friday and Saturday at the Doug May Classic in Rochester, N.Y.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will be squaring off against host Nazareth College and Rochester Institute of Technology before returning home for a five-match homestand.
 
Rutgers-Newark is coming off a splendid 2016 season, setting a new program record for wins with 21 and an appearance in the 'Elite Eight' of the NCAA Tournament. R-N finished the year 21-4-0 and a national ranking of No. 8, seeing seven players earn all-conference honors from the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Head Coach Kevin East was named the league's Coach of the Year and four Scarlet Raiders earned All-Region nods from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
 
Despite losing several key pieces from the record-setting 2016 squad, Coach East returns a great deal of experience, including seven seniors in back Isaiah Kuris, forward Chigozie Atubi, midfielder Carlos Castro, midfielder Hubert Dul, forward Alex Torres, back Arek Szoldrowski and midfielder Giuseppe Pollicino.
 
Kuris, Castro and Szoldrowski are all returning all-conference performers, Atubi and Torres are electric offensive players and both Dul and Pollicino will patrol the midfield.
 
Kuris was a second-team All-NJAC selection, making 24 starts for R-N a year ago. A superb athlete, Kuris is a major reason why the team allowed just 19 goals against all year, pitching six-straight shutouts at one point during a 12-match winning streak. He had four goals and one assist for nine points, tallying two game-winners from his back position thanks to his height and excellent instincts.
 
Szoldrowski will continue to play a central role on the defense and was an All-Region and All-NJAC selection as a junior. An incredibly consistent and solid presence, Szoldrowski will quarterback a defense that recorded 13 shutouts in 25 games in 2016. A player that has an excellent feel for the game and awareness on the field, Szoldrowski is going to be a major key to R-N's success once again.
 
Castro is another All-NJAC pick that came on at the end of his sophomore year and carried it over into his junior campaign. Now a senior, Castro will be a key cog in the middle of the field, and hopes to make his final year in the Brick City his best. He has four goals and two assists over the last two seasons combined, and his overall impact on the field will continue to be vital to the Scarlet Raiders.
 
Atubi had a spectacular end to his junior season, tallying three goals and two assists in four NCAA Tournament matches, pocketing the game-winner in the first round game against New England and the 'Sweet 16' win over Oneonta. The forward made 11 starts and 23 appearances, finishing with 15 points on six goals and three assists, and he should see upticks in his numbers across the board if he can stay healthy.
 
Torres provided a great spark for R-N a season ago, appearing in 20 matches and getting the starting nod in seven. He finished third on the team with 19 points, scoring seven goals – two game-winners – and handing out five assists. Torres notched two markers in the NCAA Tournament, and should the Raiders get back to the national stage, the Fairfield native will need to both score and facilitate on the offensive end.
 
Dul missed much of the 2016 season to injury and hopes 2017 brings health and success. A leader on and off the pitch, Dul is expected to take on a role as a center midfielder. In his fifth year as a member of the program, Dul's experience, toughness, communication, leadership and ability will be leaned on throughout.
 
Pollicino has seen an increased role each year at Rutgers-Newark and hopes to find consistent minutes in the midfield after making 14 appearances in 2016. A solid and versatile performer willing to do whatever is asked of him, Pollicino was named the 2016-17 Rutgers-Newark Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was also named first-team All-Academic by the NJAC.
 
Eight juniors are on the roster, including six returners in back Brandon Goldy, midfielder Breno Lustosa, forward Timothy Farias, midfielder/forward Zachary Gillespie, midfielder/forward Stefano Muniz and midfielder Victor Navas Jr.
 
Goldy has been a staple on the field since arriving in Newark as a freshman and will again be a huge piece of the Rutgers-Newark defense. He started each and every one of the Scarlet Raiders' 25 matches in 2016, and like those backs mentioned above, he was masterful in what was a suffocating defensive unit. Now an upperclassmen, Goldy will be looked upon to lead the younger Raiders over the next two seasons.
 
Lustosa was an All-NJAC and All-Region pick as a sophomore, playing a hugely important role on both sides of the field. The Kearny, N.J. native had one goal and three assists for a total of five points, making 21 appearances and 20 starts. A leader on the field with excellent versatility, Lustosa is a player both the offense and defense will lean on throughout '17.
 
Farias is a scorer with great speed and strength and is a threat whenever he is on the field. Through two years, the Kearny native has six goals and two assists, and if he can be productive as a junior, the Rutgers-Newark offense will be very tough to stop.
 
Gillespie – like Farias – had two goals and two assists as a sophomore and figures into the equation as an outside midfielder and forward as a junior. He made nice strides from his freshman-to-sophomore season, and if similar improvements are made from sophomore-to-junior year, a big role could await the veteran.
 
Muniz is another incredibly talented player coming back. He had six goals and six assists in his first season in Newark as a sophomore, finishing fourth on the team in points and second in assists. A workhorse with great strength and skill, Muniz will be looked upon to score and create scoring chances all year.
 
Navas has demonstrated growth and improvement in preseason camp after limited action last year. A midfielder, Navas has been more assertive in the early going which bodes well for his outlook.
 
Forward Fabio De Sousa and goalkeeper Andres Medina highlight the returning sophomore class for Coach East and the Scarlet Raiders.
 
De Sousa was a first-team NSCAA All-American – the only freshman in the nation to receive that honor. He also was named the NJAC Rookie of the Year, first-team All-NJAC, first-team All-Region and a second-team D3soccer.com All-American. A four-time NJAC Rookie of the Week honoree, De Sousa totaled 36 points on 14 goals and eight assists as a rookie, leading the NJAC in game-winning goals and sitting second in both goals and points. The Long Branch native worked hard on his game and strength this summer and could be in store for an even bigger 2017.
 
Medina sparkled in goal all year for Rutgers, going 19-4-0 in 23 starts. He recorded nine individual shutouts and more than 2,000 minutes between the pipes, allowing just 19 goals against and making 107 saves. Medina was an all-conference performer and earned weekly honors from the NJAC four different times, leading the league in goals-against average, saves and shutouts.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Matt Cabrera also returns this year, and he gives the Scarlet Raider coaching staff excellent depth at the position. Cabrera made six saves in 100-plus minutes as a rookie and did not allow a goal.
 
Sophomore midfielder/back Jose Barillas eyes a bigger role as a sophomore. A player that should see time on the outside, Barillas is a strong tackler that has benefited greatly from his first year of collegiate experience.
 
Rutgers-Newark has brought in a trio of transfers in junior midfielder/back John Martinez, sophomore midfielder Bryan Rodrigues and sophomore midfielder Brian Howard.
 
Howard joined the program in the spring and projects as an outside midfielder. He is developing nicely and has a strong soccer IQ. Rodrigues plays with a nice pace, has demonstrated 'soccer smarts' and could see a significant role on the outside, while Martinez transferred in from Division I Fairfield University.
 
Coach East has 13 freshmen looking to carve out roles, and as always, it is a very talented group. Back Adrian Velazquez has looked good in camp and figures into the defensive equation, midfielder Lucas Moraes – a Newark product – will play in the middle of the field and is just a solid player, and both Adonis Scotland and Joshua Seebeck have looked good all preseason and are pushing the veteran players for time.
 
Also figuring into the equation will be midfielder Kelvin Opoku, back Felix Melo, forward Mohammed Huzien, back Kevin Ocampo, back Alec Viruet, forward Ariel Parada, and back Andrew Andrach, midfielder Joshua Breton-Jones and keeper Klaivert Chuquirima.
 
After matches in upstate-New York, the Scarlet Raiders return home on Wednesday, September 6 for a non-conference tilt with CCNY. R-N will host the Brick City Classic on Alumni Field September 9 & 10 before opening league play against Rutgers University-Camden on September 16.
 
Senior Night is slated for October 25 against William Paterson University, and postseason play is scheduled to begin on October 28.
 
Fans should follow @ScarletRaiders and @RUN_Soc all season long for the latest on Rutgers-Newark men's soccer.