9/26/2022 football Edit

Rutgers Women's Soccer gets hard fought win over Maryland, 1-0

Mark Bator

Rutgers.Rivals.com

Sara Brocious picked up the loose ball and fired it into a vacated net for the only goal of the game as No. 4 Rutgers defeated Maryland 1-0 before a crowd of 1,239 fans at Yurcak Field.

The start of the Big Ten season has been everything fans and players expected it to be, as the matches have been competitive, the teams have been fierce and the play has been physical. Sunday’s game in Piscataway between the Scarlet Knights and the Terrapins was all that, and more.

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The game saw the return of Meghan Ryan Nemzor, the former Rutgers assistant coach, who is now the head of the Maryland Terrapins. Nemzor, who was a key figure in fashioning the Rutgers defense, has instilled that same mindset at Maryland, and the Terrapins played the Knights dead even for nearly 88 minutes.

In a tight defensive match, the game saw 25 total fouls (15 by Maryland and 10 by Rutgers), with the Terrapins collecting three yellow cards. Clearly the Maryland philosophy was to rough-up the Scarlet Knights in the hopes of getting Rutgers off its game, and the strategy nearly succeeded.

The best efforts of the Scarlet Knights were continually stymied by the Terrapins, and as the match wore on, player collisions and bodies tumbling to the turf became increasingly commonplace. As the game clock wound down, the Terrapins began to get the better of the play, and the pitch appeared to be tilted towards the Rutgers goal. As the pressure by Maryland mounted, it looked as though the Scarlet Knights would be fortunate to escape the game with a 0-0 tie.

But Rutgers sophomore Riley Tiernan had other ideas. Tiernan had created opportunities all game long, but as the match wore on, the Terrapins began to target the sophomore forward, fouling her and knocking her to the ground repeatedly.

However, the only goal of the game came as a result of Tiernan’s tireless efforts, as she raced down the left side of the pitch. As she broke inside, Tiernan was able to get past Maryland defender Christa Waterman as midfielder Sydney Urban closed on the double-team. Tiernan then launched a desperate pass to forward Allison Lowrey, who was positioned towards the center of the goal. But as the ball came to Lowrey, the force of the pass caused the ball to pop straight up into the air. It was then that Maryland goalkeeper Emory Wegener decided to gamble, coming out of her net to snatch the ball in mid-air.

It would turn out to be her only mistake of the game, and it would be a costly one.

Just steps away from corralling the ball to preserve the shutout, Lowrey hustled to the spot ahead of Wegener, and out-jumped Maryland defender Malikae Dayes. Knocked to the turf by Lowrey, the ball bounced towards the right side of the pitch where junior Sara Brocious was one step ahead of the nearest Maryland player. That step would be enough, as her right foot sent the ball to the back of the net just before Wegener could scramble back into position to make the save.

The stands at Yurcak erupted as the Scarlet Knights, exhausted and elated, celebrated the goal. From there the Knights dropped into a smothering defense that snuffed out the final two minutes of the game for a much-needed conference win that gave RU goalkeeper Meagan McClelland the fortieth clean sheet of her career.

The Scarlet Knights will next be in action on Thursday Sept. 29 when they travel to Evanston, Ill. to play the Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern is currently 9-1-1 following their 2-1 victory over Minnesota. Game time is set for 7 p.m.