Sophomore Ashley Baran fired home the winning goal just over four minutes into overtime as the Scarlet Knights downed the Michigan State Spartans, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The regular season matchup between these two squads was a hard-fought defensive battle that ended in a 1-1 draw on September 29, where both teams scored late goals in the last 11 minutes of the game.

But things were different this time around.

Just 37 seconds into the match, Michigan State was awarded a goal before many fans had even reached their seats at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. When a crossing pass was deflected by a Rutgers defender and just trickled over the line ahead of RU goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer’s sliding save attempt, Michigan State took the lead, 1-0.

Down a goal less than a minute into the game, Rutgers was forced to immediately step up the intensity, pressing in the offensive zone and playing with a fast, physical style to get chances.

Not surprisingly, the instrument of that intensity was RU senior Riley Tiernan.

Seemingly everywhere in the offensive zone, Tiernan was creating chances, taking shots, and setting up teammates with excellent passes.

All that effort paid off when Tiernan’s crossing pass found fellow senior Gia Girman, who put the ball past MSU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks to bring the game level, 1-1, at 30:11.

While the half ended in a tie, RU controlled the tempo and pace of the first 45 minutes, collecting 13 shots while MSU could manage only five.

In the second half, the Spartans came out determined to take control of the match, with the majority of the period played in the RU end of the pitch. MSU’s quick advances and pinpoint passes turned the tide of the game, constantly keeping the Scarlet Knights’ defense on its heels.

When Baran’s foul gave Michigan State a prime opportunity at scoring with just over three minutes left in regulation, it was up to Bodmer to make a diving save off sophomore Bella Najera’s free kick to keep the game level.

As they did in their regular season match, the teams ended regulation tied 1-1, but in tournament play, the game would need to be decided in overtime.

But this one was going to end quickly, and once again, it was Tiernan who started the play. When the talented senior caused a turnover in midfield, she quickly turned and found Girman again, who broke in on net.

When Parks came out to challenge, Girman slid a feeding pass to Baran, who put the game winner into the net 4:27 into overtime giving the Knights a 2-1 victory.

With the win, the Scarlet Knights move on to the semi-finals in St. Louis, with their next game on Thursday, November 7. Their opponent has yet to be decided, as Rutgers awaits the result of Monday’s USC-OSU match.