11/4/2021 other sports Edit

Rutgers Women's Soccer headed to Big Ten Tournament Finals

Mark Bator

Staff Writer

Everything pointed to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights slipping past their semi-final opponent on their way to an easy entry into the Big Ten Final. After all, Rutgers held a series lead of 6-3 in their previous nine meetings, and Iowa had not beaten the Knights since 2017. The No. 4 ranked Knights were undefeated in Big Ten play, and had won a program record 12 straight games (the longest streak in D-1 soccer this season) as they took the pitch today at Yurcak Field. The Hawkeyes had fallen to the Scarlet Knights by the narrowest of margins, 1-0, less than a month ago in Piscataway. Everything pointed to a Rutgers win as a foregone conclusion.

But having faced Rutgers on the field earlier this season, Iowa had a chance to assess the opponents face-to-face. Learning from that loss, Iowa head coach Dave DiIanni had background experience to game-plan for their rematch. Knowing the strength of the Scarlet Knights’ offense, the Hawkeyes opened the match with a 4-2-4 configuration, looking to snuff out a Rutgers offense that has outscored opponents 53-12 this season.

The strategy was a sound one, as the Hawkeyes repeatedly forced any Rutgers attack to the sidelines, making the Knights take low-percentage shots from the wing, or attempt a long crossing pass. The normally prolific Rutgers offense was held to just two shots on goal in the first 45 minutes of play, and the first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

Iowa came out fast in the second half, and took control of the game in the first ten minutes. The Knights were on their heels, and struggled to get the ball out of their own zone. Even with anxious fans in attendance beginning the familiar “R-U” chant in the stands, the Knights looked disoriented, frustrated, and unsettled.

But it’s times like these that teams turn to their leaders, and one of the key players for Rutgers is Big Ten Freshman of the Year Riley Tiernan. The Voorhees, New Jersey native had constantly broken into the Hawkeyes’ end of the pitch during the entire match, only to be forced wide and denied a look at the net. However, midway through the second half Tiernan again sprinted down the left sideline and made a perfect cross-field pass to sophomore Allison Lowery. From there, Lowery used a screen and rifled a shot on net that deflected off Hawkeye defender Riley Whitaker and rolled past Iowa goalkeeper Macy Enneking at 66:09, giving Rutgers a 1-0 lead.

That goal ignited the Scarlet Knights, and from that point on, Rutgers took control of the match. The Knights began falling back defensively to close off any would-be Hawkeye attacks before quickly transitioning to offense. By the time senior Amirah Ali added an insurance goal (her ninth of the season) at 81:03, the matter had been decided.

The Hawkeyes had outplayed Rutgers for three quarters of the match, but in the end, as they have done all season long, the Scarlet Knights found a way to win. This victory was the most important of the year, however, as it earned them a berth into the Big Ten Final. Rutgers will now play Michigan in the semi-final match in Piscataway on Sunday, Nov. 7 at Yurcak Field for the Big Ten Conference championship.