The Scarlet Knights scored two second half goals in one minute to slam the door on the Wolverines as Rutgers downed Michigan, 2-0 before a crowd of 628 fans at Yurcak Field.

If there’s one thing that can be said definitively about the 2023 season, it’s that the Scarlet Knights are better with Becci Fluchel on the pitch.

Returning to action after missing several games due to injury, RU welcomed back their captain against the Wolverines, and while she only entered the match as a substitution, she assisted on the winning goal of the contest.

Donning pink uniforms in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness, the Scarlet Knights controlled the play for most of the first half, keeping Michigan bottled up in their end of the pitch.

Rutgers pressed offensively, recording nine opening period shots, while the Wolverines could muster only two through the first forty-five minutes. Despite controlling play, the first half ended in a scoreless tie.

However, the second half was another story. Michigan made key adjustments and got the better of play, getting more scoring chances and registering more shots while RU seemed to struggle to keep up.

But that all changed when Captain Fluchel entered the match. Just over six minutes after stepping onto the pitch, Fluchel fed a perfect pass to the model of soccer consistency, junior Kylie Daigle. Daigle then unleashed a scorching shot off her left foot to beat Michigan goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski to her left side, giving the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 lead at 68:56.

Now circling the Wolverines’ goal like sharks smelling blood, the Scarlet Knights aggressive play resulted in another scoring chance when Michigan’s Tamia Tolbert committed a foul in the box, tripping up Riley Tiernan. When Sparkowski guessed wrong on the shot, Tiernan’s tally at 69:49 put Rutgers up 2-0 with momentum and the clock on their side.

From there, the RU defense did the rest, choking off Michigan’s comeback attempts and draining the clock. Despite the Wolverines registering 13 shots in the second half, RU goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer registered a clean sheet as Rutgers recorded a shutout victory to move to 7-5-3 on the season, and 3-3-1 in the Big Ten Conference.

Currently riding a two-game winning streak, the Scarlet Knights will look to keep their upward trend going when they play host to Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 15. The Spartans are no easy foe, currently boasting a 9-3-3 record this season, with a 4-1-2 conference mark. The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be carried on the Big Ten Plus Network.