After an up-and-down, injury-plagued campaign in 2023, it seemed only fitting that the season for the Scarlet Knights would come down to the final game of the year against the Northwestern Wildcats.

On a cool, blustery fall afternoon, the match was also marked by pre-game festivities observing Senior Day. Before a crowd of 1,017 spectators at Yurcak Field the contributions of 10 notable Scarlet Knights were celebrated, including captains Emma Misal and Becci Fluchel, seniors Allison Lowrey, Sam Kroeger, Sara Brocious and Giana Romano, as well as graduate students Grace Walter, Allison Lynch, Jessica Schildkraut, and Gia Vicari.

A win would give Rutgers a guaranteed spot in the conference tournament, as they were one of five teams in the Big Ten vying for the final three spots for postseason play. Making the task more difficult was the fact that head coach Mike O’Neill would miss the game due to a death in the family.

But once the time for reflection was over, the Knights set about taking care of business. Coming into the contest, Northwestern was 9-4-4 overall, holding a 3-4-2 record in the Big Ten, looking for a victory that could hopefully propel them into the conference tournament. This would be the tenth meeting between the two clubs, with RU holding a 4-3-2 advantage in the series.

With players missing or slowed by injuries, and the Northwestern Wildcats looking to key on Rutgers’ main offensive threats, Lowrey and Riley Tiernan, the Scarlet Knights would need to win the game with defense, strong goalkeeping, and the exceptional play of the team’s most talented freshman.

Both teams looked to find open shots in the first period, and RU nearly took the lead when Tiernan shook free of the defense and fired a shot that sailed over the Northwestern goal at 8:44. At the opposite end of the pitch, Wildcats senior Meg Boade had a chance to break the scoreless deadlock, but she, too, put the ball over the head of Bodmer and the RU goal.

However, Rutgers finally broke through when Lowrey offered a service pass to the center of the pitch in front of the Northwestern goal. Talented freshman Ashley Baran headed the ball to the turf to give Brocious a chance to play it, and she was able to adroitly chip the shot over the head of Wildcats goalkeeper Reiley Fitzpatrick to give RU the lead, 1-0 at 32:40.

Despite a late-period effort by Tiernan that sliced just wide of the goal at 42:28, the Brocious goal would hold up for the remainder of the half, and both teams retired to the locker room with Rutgers holding the slimmest of leads.

Needing a win to keep any hopes of postseason play alive, the Wildcats turned up the intensity in the second half. Play was constant in Rutgers’ end of the pitch, with Northwestern forcing turnovers and pressing the attack to win contested balls and set up scoring chances.

Just over 11 minutes into the second half, Northwestern senior Josie Aulicino launched one towards the goal that appeared to be carrying wide of the net, but which struck the far post and ricocheted behind Bodmer into the back of the net to level the match, 1-1 at 56:52.

With the game tied, play went up and down the field, and it appeared that both teams might be headed for a tie, which would further muddle the Big Ten standings.

But the biggest moment of the match was about to happen, and it struck like a lightning bolt.

With play consistently going back and forth as possessions swung between the two teams, two perfect passes led to an onside ball that Baran sped down the pitch to catch up with, and the freshman fired the ball at the Northwestern goal. Despite good positioning, Fitzpatrick dove to make the save and actually got her hands on the ball. But the force of the shot by Baran could not be controlled by the Wildcats’ goalkeeper, and the ball skipped into the back of the net to give Rutgers a 2-1 advantage with just 13:43 left to play.

From there it was the RU defense dropping back into their zone to deny Northwestern the chance to tie the game, and when any shots did make it through, Bodmer was there to corral the ball, often dropping to the ground to prevent any rebounds.

As the clock hit 0:00, the Scarlet Knights had secured the victory, 2-1, and assured themselves of a sixth-place finish in the conference and a berth in the Big Ten Tournament.

Of concern was the late game injury sustained by junior Emily Mason, who was walked off the pitch with less than two minutes remaining in the match.

The Big Ten Tournament gets underway on Thursday, Oct. 26. While only the top eight teams in the standings will participate, the Scarlet Knights will not host a game in the tournament due to their low seeding.