Rutgers women's soccer looks for win in regular season finale against Maryland
The Rutgers women's soccer team will play in its final regular season matchup this weekend against Maryland. The Scarlet Knights (10-3-3, 6-2-2) will aim to win one more game against the Terrapins (4-10-4, 1-8-1) on Sunday.
Rutgers has played an impressive soccer season with only three losses along with three ties versus some of the nation's best teams. Before the Knights fell against Purdue and Iowa recently, Rutgers maintained a 10-game unbeaten streak and demonstrated its competitiveness.
Last Sunday, the Knights picked up a 2-1 win against Illinois with goals coming from senior forward Riley Tiernan and freshman midfielder Shaela Bradley. These two have been essential offensive players for Rutgers throughout this season, scoring 4 goals each.
Sophomore forward Ashley Baran and junior midfielder Allie Post have also performed well near the net, collecting 4 goals each. The Knights have scored 23 goals this season, while their opponents have only averaged 11 goals.
Rutgers' defensive approach has helped keep its opponents from scoring chances. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer has made 52 saves thus far in 16 starts between the posts for the Knights.
Rutgers will have one last chance to pick up a victory before heading to the Big Ten Tournament next week. With Maryland coming off two consecutive losses and only winning once in its last 10 games, the Knights can end their last home game with a victory.
Last season, Rutgers defeated the Terrapins 1-0 in College Park, Maryland. In the 84th minute of play, senior midfielder Kylie Daigle's penalty kick gave the Knights the victory.
Maryland will have many familiar faces on the field this weekend who played in last year's match. Kennedy Bell leads the Terrapins with 3 goals, two assists and 8 points. Delaney DeMartino has also tallied 3 goals and will be a player to watch on the offensive end. So far this season, Maryland has scored 15 goals in total, while allowing opponents to find the back of the net 34 times. Liz Beardsley, the Terrapins' main goalkeeper, has blocked 68 shots on the year.
Before the game, Rutgers will have its annual Senior Day ceremony, followed by a 1 p.m. kick-off at Yurcak Field on Busch campus. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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