It’s been an awesome week for Becci Fluchel. After providing the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in Sunday’s match against Iowa, the sophomore midfielder was named Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. It marked the second time this season she had been awarded such an honor.
Fluchel and the Scarlet Knights took their shutdown defense and high-powered offense into College Park, Maryland this evening and posted a resounding road victory against the Terrapins, 5-2.
Heading into tonight’s contest, Rutgers’ offense has seen 13 different players score goals for the Scarlet Knights this season, ranking them as the fifth-best offense in the country. Conversely, the defense has limited opponents to minimal scoring chances this season, with standout Becci Fluchel working in concert with senior Gabby Provenzano and junior Allison Lynch to help Rutgers goalie Meagan McClelland (0.80 GAA) record six shutouts on the year.
GET TKR PREMIUM FREE FOR 30 DAYS — CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Tonight, Rutgers dominated the pitch at Ludwig Field from the outset, and not surprisingly, it was talented midfielder Becci Fluchel who managed the first shot of the game, just over one minute into the contest. The Knights, in their visiting white uniforms, circled around the Terrapins’ end of the field in the first half as though someone had shaken a snow globe. Rutgers finally broke through when forward Riley Tiernan made a great pass to three-time All-American Amirah Ali, who cut in from the right side to put one past Maryland netminder Liz Brucia to stake Rutgers to a 1-0 lead at 8:24.
But that score did not stand for long. Less than a minute later the Knights were set up on a penalty kick following a foul by Maryland’s Anna Carazza. Not surprisingly, just as she had done in Sunday’s match against the Hawkeyes, Becci Fluchel took advantage of the opportunity as the sophomore’s penalty kick found the left of the net and put the Knights ahead 2-0 at the 9:20 mark of the match.
The Terrapins rallied, and when a nice assist by Mikayla Dayes set up midfielder Loren Sefick, she put a shot past Meagan McClelland on the right side of the goal at the 12:47 mark. At this point, one could easily imagine that the Knights might have been looking past Maryland, who came into tonight’s contest with a sub .500 record.
But fears of a letdown were quickly swept aside, and once again it was Fluchel who took charge, answering the Terrapins goal with her second tally of the night at 16:01 after a scramble in front of the Maryland net. The second goal of the game by the Pittstown, NJ native appeared to take the spirit out of a determined Maryland squad, and when Rutgers was once again awarded a penalty kick on a foul by Maryland’s Zora Jackson, forward Allison Lowrey buried the shot in the lower left corner at 25:13 to put the Knights up 4-1. With four goals surrendered in the first half, Brucia was replaced in Maryland’s net for the second half by junior Madeline Smith.
From there, the Scarlet Knights coasted, adding a fifth tally when the team’s leading scorer, Frankie Tagliaferri, recorded her eleventh goal of the season after another pinpoint pass by Riley Tiernan. Maryland would post one more goal from midfielder Catherine DeRosa, but tonight’s contest clearly belonged to the Knights from the outset.
The win moved Rutgers, currently ranked No. 9 nationally, to 12-2 on the season. With tonight’s loss, Maryland falls to 4-7-4 on the year.
Rutgers returns to Yurcak Field in Piscataway for their final home game of the season on Sunday, Oct 17 against Michigan State at 1 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will honor the senior members of the program in a special Senior Day ceremony before the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
