Rutgers men’s soccer is back at Yurcak Field on Friday night, and the Scarlet Knights will get a Big Ten test against Northwestern in their Letterwinner game.
The matchup kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 in Piscataway, with Rutgers carrying a 4-4-1 record and a 2-1 mark in conference play.
Northwestern arrives at 5-3-1 overall and also sits at 2-1 in the Big Ten. The match will stream on B1G+.
Rutgers is coming off a 4-1 loss at RV Washington on Friday, Sept. 25 at Husky Soccer Stadium. The Scarlet Knights dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole and made it a one-goal game in the second half, but Washington answered with two late goals to put it away.
Friday also brings another “Fill the Hill” night for Rutgers fans. The program is pushing the family-friendly atmosphere on the berm at Yurcak Field, across from the bleachers, for the remaining marquee home dates this fall. The other scheduled “Fill the Hill” night is against Michigan on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
Fans attending the event are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs and get there early. Pop-up tents will not be allowed.
Entry for “Fill the Hill” will be through the rear entrance of Yurcak Field, which leads directly to the event area. Portable restrooms and select food and beverages will be available nearby, and fans can also walk to the front entrance for regular restroom access and the full concession stand.
The night also ties into Rutgers Hall of Fame news, with Steve Rammel selected to the 2026 Hall of Fame class. His induction is scheduled for Friday, October 2 at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with honorees being recognized again on Saturday, October 3 when Rutgers football hosts Indiana at SHI Stadium.
Rammel’s Rutgers résumé is loaded. He helped lead the Scarlet Knights to back-to-back Final Fours in 1989 and 1990, during a stretch when the team went 40-7-2 with him in the lineup.
As a senior, he earned All-America honors and powered Rutgers to the championship game, where it came down to penalty kicks. He was also a runner-up for the Hermann Trophy and the 1990 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals in each of his two seasons in Piscataway following a transfer from Connecticut.
He finished his Rutgers career with 84 points, which ranks ninth in program history.
After college, Rammel was invited to U.S. national team camp and played with the B-team in the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England. That same year, he joined the U.S. National Team and appeared in seven games for Penn-Jersey Spirit of the American Professional Soccer League.
From there, he spent 1991-1993 with German lower-division clubs SC Norderstedt and Tus Celle before returning to the U.S. to earn a master’s degree in finance while working as an assistant coach at UMass.
His pro career picked up again in 1996 with the Washington Mustangs of the USISL, and he was then acquired on loan by D.C. United of MLS.
With United, he became a 1996 All-Star, scored 17 goals and recorded the first MLS hat trick in a May 15, 1996 victory over the Columbus Crew. He also helped D.C.
United win the 1996 MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup.
Rammel later spent time with the Colorado Rapids and NJ/NY MetroStars before retiring in 1999.
He stayed in the game after playing, working as the top assistant at UCLA and helping the Bruins reach three NCAA Tournaments, including the 1999 College Cup. He also spent five seasons as head coach at Saint Mary’s, coached 20 players to All-West Coast Conference honors, and served as an assistant coach in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy. His off-field work included executive director roles with Orlando City Youth from 2012-15, the West Florida Flames Futbol Club from 2015-16 and Santa Rose United from 2007-08.
A native of West Deptford, New Jersey, Rammel was a Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year and Philly Inquirer South Jersey Athlete of the Year after posting an 81-10-5 record, two state championships and 90 goals. He graduated from Rutgers in 1991 with a degree in economics.
As for the current Scarlet Knights, Rutgers returns 17 student-athletes who played in 2025, including seven who started at least 12 matches. The back line brings back Collins, Braxton Montgomery and Devon Stopek, who all appeared in every game last season.
Rutgers also brings back eight of its 10 goal scorers from a year ago, accounting for 17 goals in 2025. On top of that, McElderry and his staff added 11 newcomers over the offseason, including seven transfers and four first-year players. The transfer group comes with 103 career games of college experience.
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