No. 10 Rutgers women's soccer takes down Indiana at home
After a 3-0 win over Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, last Sunday, the Rutgers women’s soccer team defeated Indiana at home today 1-0. The No. 10 Scarlet Knights (12-1-1, 4-1-1) shut out the Hoosiers (2-5-6, 0-5-1) to record their second shutout win in a row.
The game was scoreless after the first 45 minutes with Rutgers recording five shots with three on goal and Indiana recording just one shot.
In the 61st minute, sophomore midfielder Kylie Daigle scored the game’s only goal off a penalty kick. Daigle fired the ball to the bottom right corner of the goal, the ball sliding past Hoosiers goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg. The score was Daigle’s 5th goal of the season.
The Knights were able to control the ball for most of the game, not allowing Indiana to have many opportunities as the defense was able to get the ball out of the Hoosiers' possession many times throughout the game.
The Rutgers defense was able to suffocate Indiana’s attack all game. This defensive performance allowed the Knights to keep the pressure on the Hoosier net, eventually allowing Daigle to break through.
Notable defensive performances come from sophomore defensive back Emily Mason and senior defensive back Allison Lynch, both of whom played all 90 minutes for Rutgers today.
The Knights got called for a foul 11 times tonight, which is among the most fouls for the program in a single game this season, while Indiana got called 12 times. This is a stat that Rutgers will look to clean up before the next game.
The Hoosiers applied pressure to the Knights defense late in the game as 2 of their 3 shots came with less than 20 minutes left. But the Rutgers defense stood tall and only allowed one shot on goal in the whole game.
Graduate student goalkeeper Meagan McClelland got her 42nd shutout of her career as she turned away Indiana’s lone shot on goal in the 78th minute. With this shutout, McCelland extended her lead on the most shutouts in the country among active players.
Daigle recorded four shots, tied with sophomore forward Riley Tiernan. Hoosiers midfielder Izzy Smith got two shots, the most of her team.
The Knights finished the game with 12 shots and six shots on goal while Indiana recorded three shots with one shot on goal.
Rutgers improves to 12 wins on the season and moves this Thursday at 7 p.m to play Minnesota at home. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+.
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