Rutgers women's soccer set for Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal versus No. 16 Michigan State
The Rutgers women's soccer team will face Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (10-3-4, 6-2-3) will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed, while the Spartans (12-1-5, 7-1-3) are the No. 4 seed.
Rutgers finished the regular season with 10 victories and just three losses. The Knights tied with No. 16 Michigan State, which was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time during its 10-game undefeated streak. In that game, redshirt freshman midfielder Gabriela Gil scored a penalty kick with 4:11 remaining to earn a point for Rutgers.
The Spartans' only loss this season was a 2-1 defeat to Washington. Since that loss, they have won three straight games heading into the tournament.
Michigan State has scored 38 goals this season, tied for the most in the Big Ten. Despite the Spartans' high-powered offense, the Knights have demonstrated a solid defensive hold thanks to players like senior defenders Kassidy Banks and Emily Mason, who should impact how Michigan State performs this weekend.
Meg Hughes leads the Spartans with 19 points off 7 goals and five assists. Justina Gaynor follows behind with 4 goals and a team-high six assists. Bella Najera and Emily Mathews are also prolific goal scorers, netting 6 goals.
Rutgers has multiple players who have scored 4 goals this season. Senior forward Riley Tiernan has been the Knights' most productive player, with 4 goals and nine assists. Freshman midfielder Shaela Bradley and junior midfielder Allie Post have also chipped in on offense with 4 goals.
Rutgers ended the season on a mixed note, suffering back-to-back shutout defeats against Iowa and Purdue. The Knights closed out the regular season with a 1-1 tie against one of the Big Ten bottom-feeders, Maryland.
The quarterfinal game will kick off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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