No. 22 Rutgers wins last 2 home games in overtime
The cold, wind and rain didn’t stop the Rutgers women’s soccer team from securing back-to-back wins over the weekend. The No. 22 Scarlet Knights (12-2-2, 6-2-1) captured 1-0 wins against Purdue and Indiana with both goals scored in the first couple of minutes in overtime by junior forward Nneka Moneme.
Boilermakers (6-7-3, 2-5-2) Action
On a cold and windy evening, Rutgers had its eyes set on a win and a win is what it delivered. The Knights went 7-2 in shots to Purdue in the first half of the match, but were unable to close any of the goals.
A couple of times, Rutgers was in contention to score a clear goal, but would shoot over the net.
As the game continued, the Knights lost a little bit of their momentum and passed the ball without really taking advantage of the opportunities that they created.
Luckily, when overtime came around, Moneme spent little time waiting around and scored the game-winning goal at a minute and a half into the first overtime period. Senior back Chantelle Swaby passed the perfect ball to set Moneme up with a clear shot to the net.
Moneme surged through and shot the ball to the right corner of the net, hitting the post before settling the game.
Hoosiers (7-7-2, 3-4-2) Action
More bad weather hit the banks on Sunday afternoon. It rained, it poured down on Rutgers, but that didn’t stop the Knights from controlling the game from the start.
Through both periods, Rutgers held Indiana at two shots in each period. The Knights put together 16 shots, but like the match against the Boilermakers on Thursday, nothing was hitting the back of the net.
Nearly mirroring its performance against Purdue, Rutgers scored 3 and a half minutes into the first overtime period with a goal from Moneme.
A Hoosiers foul gave senior midfielder Taylor Aylmer a free kick, which was passed to sophomore back Shea Holland. Holland steadied the ball before handing it off to an open Moneme, who took a shot at the top right corner of the net.
From Moneme’s previous goal against the Boilermakers, the ball hit the crossbar and landed at the back of the net for the win.
This weekend’s goals mark Moneme’s third and fourth game-winning goal and 9 goals overall this season. Additionally, sophomore goalkeeper Meagan McClelland also rises to nine shutouts this year with only two saves over both matches.
Instead of shooting in the blind, the Knights need to be able to close the opportunities that are given to them. It's one thing to be in possession of the ball for most of the game, but another thing to not take advantage of that possession to the best of the team’s ability.R
Rutgers will have its chance to prove itself again for its last road matches of the conference season in Michigan. The Knights will face Michigan in Ann Arbor on Thursday evening, before playing Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon.
For updates on the Rutgers women's soccer team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.