In what can only be termed a disappointment, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights came away with a 2-2 draw against Big Ten conference foe Minnesota on a rainy night at Yurcak Field.
To be fair, the Golden Gophers gave the Knights all they could handle, rolling out a defense that stymied the RU offense, while answering the call whenever Rutgers appeared to be taking control.
All seemed bright for the Scarlet Knights when sophomore Riley Tiernan took a feed from junior Sam Kroeger and went to the far side of the net with her shot at 2:44 to give RU the quick lead, 1-0. With defenders keying on her all season long, goals have been hard to come by for Tiernan, and her tally within the first three minutes of the match was only her second goal of the season.
That goal appeared to be a good sign for RU, which desperately needs their star forward to catch fire as the Scarlet Knights head down the home stretch of the 2022 schedule. But the lead didn’t last long, as the Golden Gophers brought the game level at 1-1 when junior midfielder Sophia Boman beat RU goalkeeper Meagan McClelland less than ten minutes later at 12:27.
From there the match turned into a defensive showdown, with scoring chances thwarted at either end of the pitch. The Rutgers offense, which has been prolific with shots all season long, managed only three in the first half under the relentless pursuit of the Golden Gophers’ defense. After the first forty-five minutes of play, the game remained tied.
All season long, the Scarlet Knights have been a second-half team, correcting their errors and making adjustments. So, the 327 fans that braved the weather in Piscataway were no doubt hopeful, and perhaps even expected, that the Knights would work their magic once more.
Less than eight minutes into the second half, the fans got exactly what they expected. Off a free kick, Becci Fluchel and Kylie Daigle lined up next to the ball, looking to confuse the Minnesota defenders. Normally on such plays, the Scarlet Knights call upon the cannon leg of Fluchel to put the ball in an advantageous position to create chaos in front of the net, in the hopes of leading to a score. But this time it was Daigle who fired the ball, where a sprinting Allison Lynch laid out for a header that got past Gophers goalkeeper Megan Plaschko, giving Rutgers a 2-1 advantage at 52:17.
The effort was one of self-sacrifice, with Lynch laying out to score the goal, reminiscent of Bobby Orr’s “flying” overtime goal in the 1970 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. For the senior back from Bridgewater, N.J., it was her first goal of the season and just the third of her entire college career.
That spectacular goal electrified the crowd, who could be forgiven into believing that this would be the turning point, that clear mark in the game where Rutgers took over and asserted its will over a visiting opponent.
But not on this night.
Just as they had done in the first half, the Golden Gophers answered, this time less than eight minutes later when defender Alana Dressely launched one from distance that McClelland looked to slap aside for the initial save. The ball, rather than clearing the goalmouth, caromed off of Minnesota’s Gabbie Cesarone and trickled into the net to once again tie the score at 59:45.
Neither team could manage another goal, and the match ended in a 2-2 tie. For the Scarlet Knights it was a bitter pill to swallow, as the outcome can only be categorized as a stumble on their drive to reclaim the top position in the Big Ten. For the Gophers, now 6-7-2, a hard-fought draw on the road against the No. 8 team in the nation is a good result, as they look to qualify for the postseason.
While McClelland was clearly disappointed and perhaps somewhat angry at herself following the second Minnesota goal, there is no time for the veteran goalkeeper to dwell on the play. Now the all-time NCAA leader in career minutes played (9,032:27), McClelland and the 12-1-2 Scarlet Knights will need to re-set and re-focus for Wisconsin, who visits Yurcak Field on Sunday, Oct. 16. Rutgers, currently fourth in the conference, trails Northwestern, Michigan State and Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
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