Rutgers Women's Soccer Plays to a Draw Against No. 1 Michigan State
There are moments that define games, seasons and careers, and RU fans may well have seen that happen at 85:49 of Rutgers’ match against the number one ranked team in the nation.
The Michigan State Spartans (8-0-3) came into the game looking to maintain their NCAA ranking with the backing of 2,381 hometown fans in DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing.
Besides a prolific offensive attack, MSU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks had entered the match with a 0.89 goals-against-average, and the Scarlet Knights would clearly have their hands full.
But Rutgers, while not ranked in the top 25 nationally, was certainly not going to be a pushover. Sporting a seven-game shutout streak, the Scarlet Knights were leading the Big Ten Conference and were not prepared to relinquish that position.
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As one might well expect, the game was a tight affair, where defense was the order of the day.
While the Spartans did have the better of the play through the first 45 minutes, each time MSU threatened the RU goal, the experienced Scarlet Knights’ backline would swarm to the ball, intercepting passes and forcing any scoring chances to be attempted from outside the box.
When the Spartans did break through the defense to get a quality shot, Knights’ goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer would come out to challenge the shooter and make her hurry the attempt.
Through the first half of the game, the Spartans registered seven shots, while the Scarlet Knights could muster only three, and the contest stood level with a 0-0 tie.
It looked like the game could well end in a draw, as the teams continued to grind up and down the pitch for most of the second half.
However, with less than 11 minutes left to play, the Spartans broke the scoreless deadlock when forward Mackenzie Anthony’s shot trickled past Bodmer, rolling into the back of the Rutgers goal. The scoring play appeared to be a missed offsides call by the officials, but after stopping to review it, the goal was upheld.
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From there, the match became even more physical, as the Knights tried to find the equalizer.
As time wound down for the Scarlet Knights, the contest looked like one that would go into the loss column for Rutgers, having played a solid game against the best team in the nation.
But that’s not what happened.
With just 4:11 left, the Spartans were called for a hand ball when defender Julia Belli inadvertently touched the shot off the foot of Ashley Baran. After a lengthy video review, the play was confirmed, giving the Scarlet Knights a chance to tie the game on a penalty kick.
What transpired next was a surprise to RU fans watching at home, as well as the small contingent of loyal Rutgers fans who had traveled to the game.
Eschewing the opportunity to have one of RU’s talented veterans take the shot, head coach Mike O’Neill put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of none other than redshirt freshman Gabriela Gil.
The tension built as the crowd screamed in support of their graduate student goalkeeper, but when the referee blew the whistle to start play, Gil trotted up and fired the shot past Parks, bringing the game level, 1-1, at 85:49.
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The shot not only tied the game, but may well signal a turning point in the season that tempers the blade of the Scarlet Knights through the remainder of the Big Ten schedule.
From there, the Rutgers defense did what it does best, choking out their opponents’ offensive chances and keeping the ball away from their goal. While the match ended in a 1-1 tie, the grit and determination showed by the Scarlet Knights against the nation’s best seemed more like a win.
Now 8-1-2 on the year, the Knights are unbeaten in conference play (4-0-1) and undefeated in their last eight games, with just three goals surrendered all season.
The Scarlet Knights are back in action for their first game of October when they travel to University Park, Pennsylvania to face Penn State. The game is slated for a 5:00 p.m. start on Friday, October 4 against the Nittany Lions, and will be carried on the Big Ten Plus network.against the Nittany Lions, and will be carried on the Big Ten Plus network.
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