No. 20 Rutgers field hockey drops regular season finale against UMass Lowell in overtime
The Rutgers field hockey team suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to UMass Lowellin in its final game of the regular season on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (7-8, 4-4) scored first but conceded in the third quarter to force overtime, with the River Hawks (9-7, 2-3) coming out on top.
No. 20 Rutgers controlled the first quarter. The visitors made the sole four shots, but the game remained scoreless through the opening frame.
The Knights worked with the momentum they built in the first, scoring the opening goal shortly into the second quarter. Senior midfielder Guillermina Causarano netted the lone goal for Rutgers, her 7th goal of the season via a great play started by graduate student forward Kara Heck.
It was also Causarano’s 23rd career goal of her, the eighth-most in program history.
The first half ended 109 in favor of the Knights. They held an impressive 12-2 shot margin against the home team and racked up nine corner chances. Despite the strong pressure that it dealt, Rutgers could not put another one in the net to extend its lead over UMass Lowell.
The River Hawks leveled the score after the break, with Karlijn Kerkhof being credited for the goal.
UMass Lowell had a chance to break through in the final frame with a pair of corners. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Sophia Howard stood tall, though, keeping the home team from taking the lead.
Time started to wind down in regulation and with the game tied, overtime would have to settle the outcome.
The River Hawks pushed forward immediately, taking a strong stance and setting themselves up to score early. Within 90 seconds of the extra frame beginning, Madison Leeper scored the game-winning goal for her side.
Despite the loss, the Knights played a strong game, leading in nearly every stat.
Rutgers will have to brush this loss off and regroup before the Big Ten Tournament kicks off on Thursday. Seeding for the tournament will be settled once regular season conference games are over.
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