Rutgers women’s soccer picks up 2nd consecutive win against UMass
The Rutgers women's soccer team continued its winning run against UMass yesterday. The Scarlet Knights (4-2-2, 0-0-0) defeated the Minutemen (3-2-2, 0-0-0) by a score of 1-0 at Yurcak Field on Busch campus.
Rutgers started off the game with momentum, as a shot from graduate student forward Gia Vicari forced Bella Mendoza into an early save in the 5th minute.
UMass then had a chance of its own approximately 3 minutes later. Nia Hislop shot the ball toward the top right corner of the net, but sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer made a diving save to keep the effort out.
The remainder of the first half would be a close affair. Both sides battled to create scoring opportunities and dominate possession in the midfield.
Going into halftime, the game would remain tied at 0-0.
The Minutemen played a physical first half, as they committed six fouls. The Knights had a 6-3 lead in shots but were only able to place one of their shots on target.
Rutgers came out hot to begin the second half and managed several shots on goal. Junior forward Riley Tiernan found herself with a chance to shoot in the 50th minute, but her attempt hit the crossbar.
Approximately 15 minutes later, the Knights would get an opportunity to open the scoring with a penalty kick. Graduate student defender Allison Lynch won the penalty, as her shot hit the hand of a UMass player.
Senior forward Allison Lowrey stepped up to the penalty spot and fired her shot right over the goalkeeper's head to score the 1st goal of the game in the 66th minute.
For the remainder of the game, the Knights remained sharp on both offense and defense to hold onto their lead and ultimately claim the victory.
"I think (in) the second half, we had a mentality to attack and go after them, where maybe in the first half, (UMass) kind of bossed the game a little bit," head coach Mike O'Neill said. "So, we talked about it at halftime and what we needed to do, and we need to be the aggressor. And I think in the second half, we did exactly that."
Despite only scoring 1 goal, Rutgers dominated the Minutemen on offense, as the team attempted 18 shots. UMass was limited to five shots due to the Knights' strong defense.
Between the posts, Bodmer only had to make two saves as a result of strong performances from junior defenders Kassidy Banks and Emily Mason.
With conference play beginning next week, Rutgers has found success at the right time.
The Knights will look to extend their winning streak and earn their first conference win when they travel to take on Indiana next Sunday. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
"It takes everybody to attack and everybody to defend, so we've done a good job with clean sheets," O'Neill said of his team's play as of late. "I would have a bigger concern if we weren't creating, but we're creating. So now we just need to be a bit more composed and finish the opportunities that we get."
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