Erin Guthrie has allowed only eight goals in 19 games.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 25, 2009) – The No. 9/15 Rutgers women’s soccer team (13-2-4, 7-1-3 BIG EAST) fought to a 1-1 draw Sunday at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Ky. The Scarlet Knights have already secured second place in the BIG EAST National Division, for home field advantage and a bye to the Quarterfinals on Nov. 1. The Scarlet Knights will be facing the West Virginia Mountaineers at Yurcak Field.
“We went down a goal early, but we got it right back, which shows the resiliency of this team,” said head coach Glenn Crooks. “Louisville is a much, much better than their record shows. We did not play our best, but I think this game showed the mental toughness of our team.”
Louisville struck first in the 14th minute, as Jennifer Jones dished the ball off to teammate Emily Cardell, who struck from 12 yards out. From the left side of the box, Cardell snuck it past senior keeper Erin Guthrie (Sparta, N.J.) for her first goal of the season. It was just the eighth goal Guthrie has allowed in 19 games.
Redshirt freshman April Price (Mechanicsville, Va.) struck three minutes later for the equalizer. Redshirt freshman Stefanee Pace (Kearny, N.J.) took a shot from inside the box that Louisville keeper Katie Zoeller saved. Price was right there for the rebound, blasting it by the U of L netminder. Price has been clutch for the Scarlet Knights when the squad trails, as the forward notched the game-winner in the come-from-behind victory over Marquette. Pace recorded her team-leading sixth assist on the play.
Rutgers had a chance to put it away in the 99th minute, as there was a scramble right in front of the goal. Senior Kristie Lang (East Brunswick, N.J) sent a shot towards the left of Louisville keeper Taylor Vancil (replacing Zoeller after the first half), but the U of L keeper made a diving stop to send the game into double overtime.
Overall, the Cardinals outshot the Scarlet Knights, 15-7. RU only had four chances on goal all afternoon, while U of L had nine. Guthrie made eight saves in the match, tying a season-high.
Rutgers earned a bye and home field advantage in the BIG EAST Tournament, which commences next week. The Scarlet Knights will play West Virginia, the No. 3 seed in the American Division, on Sunday, Nov. 1. Time will be announced Sunday night.
“Preventing our opponent’s opportunities and cashing in on our own is what we strive for,” said Crooks. “The basis of our success in the post season will be getting and taking advantage of those opportunities. Our entire coaching staff is so proud of this team. Some programs talk about injuries and use them as a excuse, but if you look at our program and the way this team has responded. For the quantity and quality of players that have gone down, the way different players have stepped up and grown up in a short amount of time has been really gratifying.”
Game Notes
* Rutgers remains unbeaten on the road this season, maintaining a 7-0-2 tally in away games.
*The Scarlet Knights have tied the record for fewest times shutout in the regular season (1984, 1988), going just two games without scoring a goal. Against USF, RU tied 0-0 and Rutgers dropped the next game, 1-0, to No. 8/9 Notre Dame. In both 1984 and 1988, the Scarlet Knights lost each time they were shut out.
*Through 19 games, the Scarlet Knights have dropped just two contests, which ties the lowest amount to this point in the season in program history (in 2006, RU went 14-2-3 through 19 games).
*This is the sixth overtime game for the Scarlet Knights, who maintain a 2-0-4 record in 2009 in extra stanza games.
