Rutgers -  Two and a Half Star Class Ranking -  Bob Reasso has added a small but very focused three member 2009 recruiting class after bring on board a thirteen member recruiting class in 2007 and a twelve member class in 2008.  The marquee player of the 2009 class, who should make an immediate impact, is sophomore transfer David MacVane from Saratoga Springs, New York who was a starter last year as a freshman at the University of South Carolina and has an extensive background of competitive U.S. National Team play.  Rutgers took their lumps last year with a very young team that was trying to find itself.  With freshmen and sophomores accounting for ninety percent of the minutes Rutgers played in 2009, the Scarlet Knights were clearly among the youngest teams in the country.  As would be expected of such a young team, the Scarlet Knights were up and down with impressive wins over nationally ranked UC Santa Barbara and Louisville but overall they struggled with 6-9-3 record that included a 3-6-2 mark in the highly competitive Big East Conference.  On the brighter side, Rutgers will return ten starters and a solid core of players from the 2008 team, and that year of experience should pay dividends in 2009.  The lessons this young team learned last year should carry over to the 2009 season.  Junior midfielder Dilly Duka (8g, 1a), who led the Scarlet Knights in scoring last year and was a Second-Team All-Big East selection, returns to power Rutger’s attack in 2009.  Duka is a prime timer but unfortunately for Rutgers they will be without his services for up to seven games during the 2009 campaign because he will be taking the pitch for the U.S. U-20 National team in the U-20 World Cup. Reasso will likely look to sophomore forwards Sam Archer (2g, 2a) and Gaetano Panuccio (2g, 1a) to help add some additional punch to the Scarlet Knight offense which produced a total of only eighteen goals last year.  Eight of those eighteen goals were put in the back of the net by Duka.  Senior Guilherme Dantas and sophomore Ibrahim Kamara should also be in the hunt for playing time up-top.  Juniors Aly Mazhar (1g, 1a) and Chris Edwards and sophomores Robert McLarney and Nye Winslow are among returning midfielders.  Sophomore Yannick Salmon and juniors Josh Carrol and Paulie Calafiore return to give the Scarlet Knights what should be a very solid backline.  In fact, the backline may be the team’s real strength in 2009.  Junior Sal Fusairi and sophomore Bryant Knibbs should also be in the mix on the defensive side of the ball.  Losing Amir Haghshenas in goal due to graduation hurts and creates a void between the pipes that Rutgers must effectively fill in order to enhance their win total in 2009.  Despite the fact that the Scarlet Knights gained a ton of valuable experience in 2008, they will still be a relatively young squad in 2009 with a roster that includes only two seniors.  Regardless, the prevailing attitude surrounding Rutgers heading into 2009 is cautious optimism.  Cautious in that this team has yet to prove that they have what it takes to win on a consistent basis.  Optimistic in that the old axiom is that players improve more between their freshmen and sophomore seasons than during any other span of time.  If that proves to be the case the Scarlet Knights could be the surprise team in the Big East in 2009.  When it is all said and done look for Reasso to field a much more competitive squad in 2009 with a better win loss record but building for the future may still be the focus of the Scarlet Knights in 2009. 

 

David MacVane - Saratoga Springs, New York - Midfielder - South Carolina - A starter last year at South Carolina - Multi-Year U.S. National Team Member.  NSCAA High School All-American.

 

Jake Grinkevich - Manalapan, New Jersey - Goalkeeper - Manalapan High School - Two-time First Team All-State selection - Shore Goalie of the Year by the Star-Ledger - All-Monmouth County.

 

Dan Parr - Hummelstown, Pennsylvania - Midfielder - Lower Dauphin High School - All-State selection - Super Y ODP National Team Member - Member Region I ODP team - Division MVP.