Rutgers women's soccer program began their 2022 season at the UNM Soccer Complex in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Thursday night, and began their schedule with a win against the Lobos, 1-0 on the strength of a first-half goal by junior forward Allison Lowery.
The 2021 season ended on a sour note, leaving the Rutgers faithful to wonder “what if,” and what could have been. The bitterness of the Final Four exit slowly faded, giving way to a bittersweet emotion, and finally, a pride in a season well played, as the Scarlet Knights finished as the third-ranked team in the nation.
But at some point during the summer, Rutgers fans undoubtedly awoke in a panic, realizing that three of their top players had graduated and gone pro, leaving gaping holes in the starting lineup.
A new set of “what if” questions arose, such as: What if the absence of Amirah Ali suddenly causes opponents to double team Riley Tiernan? Or, what if the loss of Frankie Tagliaferri puts undue pressure on Becci Fluchel to pick up the slack?
It was the first time Rutgers and New Mexico have ever met, but Head Coach Mike O’Neill had his team ready, armed with numerous returning starters from the 2021 campaign. Entering the season as the sixth-ranked team in the nation, Rutgers is picked to repeat as the Big Ten champions again this year by pre-season experts.
But the Scarlet Knights have a not-so-secret weapon in goal, returning graduate student keeper Meagan McClelland, who posted a 0.69 goals against average in 2021 on the strength of 13 shutouts last season. This talent would be tested at 19:00 of the first half when McClelland made a key save off a shot by 2021 Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Jadyn Edwards to keep the game scoreless.
This save appeared to ignite the Knights, as Tiernan picked up her first assist of the young season when she found junior Sara Brocious who quickly passed to Lowrey. Lowery then broke in on goal and used her right foot to put one past New Mexico’s goalkeeper Alli Davis at 21:29. However, that would be the extent of the scoring in the first half, and the Scarlet Knights went to the locker room holding tight to a 1-0 lead.
Play turned physical in the first six minutes of the second half, as bodies began to fall to the turf with player collisions drawing loud reactions from the crowd. But the physical play began to create opportunities for New Mexico, and when the Scarlet Knights appeared to be tiring from the altitude as the game wore on, it was McClelland who kept Rutgers in the lead.
As expected, whenever Tiernan touched the ball, two defenders would close quickly, which left pesky forward Gia Girman free to run and maintain offensive possession for the Knights. Rutgers then put a chokehold on the game, as the Scarlet Knight defense frustrated the Lobos’ attack and squeezed the clock like a python to end the game with the 1-0 victory.
For an opening game, the Knights were happy to walk off with a victory, especially against an opponent in New Mexico who has gone to the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons. Clearly, there is work to be done for Rutgers, who will need to find some offensive rhythm and firepower before conference play starts. A win to open the 2022 season is what the Knights were looking for, and they now have three days to regroup before they face off against UNLV on Sunday at 12:30 Eastern time.
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