Senior forward Giana Romano took advantage of a wild scramble in front of the Providence net to score the only goal of the match with 10 minutes remaining to lift the Scarlet Knights to a 1-0 victory over the Providence Friars before 572 spectators Thursday night at Yurcak Field.

The match held some special significance, as it featured the Bodmer sisters facing off against one another in goal, with RU goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer staring down the pitch at her sister, Emma Bodmer, the starting goalie for the Providence Friars.

Both the Scarlet Knights and the Friars came out fast and feisty from the starting whistle, with both teams getting chances at either end of the pitch in the first half.

Rutgers appeared to tally the first goal of the game when the ball skipped past Emma Bodmer into the Providence net at 14:11, but it was quickly taken off the board due to the Scarlet Knights being offsides.

But chances were fairly plentiful in the first 45 minutes, with Rutgers getting five shots, while Providence had four. Despite the opportunities, the first half ended level in a 0-0 tie.

In the second half, Providence replaced Bodmer with graduate student goalkeeper Katherine McElroy. In addition, the Friars’ offense picked up where it had left off in the first half, getting scoring chances early in the second session.

One of the Friars’ best chances necessitated a point-blank denial by the RU goalkeeper, who made a diving stop off the shot by sophomore midfielder Colleen Casey.

Undoubtedly, the bright spot of the game was the standout effort of junior Kylie Daigle, who appeared to be omnipresent during the match, supporting in the defensive zone and creating scoring opportunities in the offensive end of the pitch. In her 58 minutes during the game she accounted for four shots for the Knights, three of which were on goal.

But when Providence defender Abbie Finn committed a foul, it provided the Scarlet Knights with a prime opportunity at a score. Awarded a free kick, senior Sam Kroeger fired a bending shot to the right side of the net that was saved on a diving play by McElroy. Once again, the Knights were denied, and the game remained level at 0-0.

But that was destined to change.

After a foul by Providence forward Gillian Kenney, the only goal surrendered this season by the Friars came, appropriately enough, after a free kick by Daigle. Lining up her shot, Daigle sent the ball towards the net where a goalkeeper rebound resulted in scrambly play in front, leading to the goal by Romano to give RU the lead, 1-0.

Protecting their one goal lead, the RU defense clamped down and dropped quickly into the defensive zone any time the Friars gained control of the ball. But this one would belong to the Scarlet Knights, who took a hard-fought victory against a previously undefeated foe who had the nation’s best defense coming into the contest.

The Knights are next in action on Sunday, Sept. 10 against UMass. The Minutewomen are 3-1-2 this season, and the match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Yurcak Field. It will be carried on the Big Ten Plus network.