Two overtime periods were not enough to decide the gamebetween the No. 1 ranked Scarlet Knights and the No. 9 Liberty Flames in their second-round matchup in the NCAA Women’s Field Hockey Tournament. In the end, it was a shootout that ended the Scarlet Knights’ season, 3-2.
The last two months have been nice if you’re a Liberty fan. The Flames came into today’s game riding the crest of a 15-game winning streak in which they have outscored opponents by an unbelievable 56-12.
From the outset, the Scarlet Knights, dressed in their black uniforms, set about trying to figure out how to find seams in the Liberty defense and get shots against Flames goaltender AzulIritxity Irigoyen. But, despite their best efforts, it was Liberty who opened the scoring when sophomore midfielder Lexi Hosler scored at 7:44, less than 90 seconds after substituting in for senior Kendra Jones.
That goal held up through the entire first half, as the Flames played tight defense, allowing the Scarlet Knights just one shot through the first 30 minutes of play.
Early in the third, however, a foul by Liberty resulted in a Rutgers penalty shot from Milena Redlingschoefer. With a chance to tie the game, the senior midfielder scored her eighth goal of the season, knotting the game 1-1 at 33:23.
That goal sparked the home crowd at the Bauer Complex, which soon broke into the “R-U” chant. Energized, the Scarlet Knights found a new vigor, and when senior midfielder Gianna Mancini scored less than three minutes later, suddenly Rutgers led 2-1.
With time waning in the fourth quarter, a desperate Liberty squad pulled their goaltender, and when they were awarded a corner, the Flames had a chance to tie the game.
And they capitalized on the opportunity.
Quick passing between Kendra Jones and sophomore Bethany Dykema set up senior forward Jill Bolton, who scored the equalizer at 56:46. For the Souderton, Pennsylvania native, it was her eighteenth goal of the season.
At the end of regulation, the game was a 2-2 tie, and despite two overtime periods, the match remained tied, forcing the teams to go to a shootout.
Liberty scored on their first two opportunities, and when RU missed on their second shot, Liberty held the advantage.Rutgers tied it on the third frame of the shootout, but when Liberty again scored in the fourth and fifth frames, the Flames clinched the game and ended the season of the Scarlet Knights.
For head coach Meredith Civico, the Scarlet Knights and their fans, it was a disappointing end to a milestone season. Rutgers had made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2018, and despite a Big Ten Tournament title, the Scarlet Knights are undoubtedly left with the feeling that there was still more work to be done. While Rutgers ends its season with a 19-4-0 record, Liberty, now 19-2-0, moves on to play this Friday, Nov. 19 against Maryland.
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