PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Nov. 1, 2009) – The No. 9/11 Rutgers women’s soccer team fell to West Virginia, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights move to 13-3-4 overall in 2009, while the Mountaineers rise to 9-5-6 in 2009. West Virginia moves on to play Marquette in the BIG EAST Semifinals in Storrs, Conn.
“It is certainly disappointing,” said head coach Glenn Crooks. “But I think West Virginia was the better team out there today. They deserved to win. That being said, some of the little things that take part in the game of soccer did not happen today, and that is the disappointing part. We have asked a lot of these players.”
West Virginia scored with just 4:09 left in the game. Blake Miller played the ball up the right side, hitting an open Caralee Keppler eight yards outside the goal. An unmarked Keppler corralled the pass and sent it towards the right corner of the net. Although keeper Erin Guthrie (Sparta, N.J.) got a hand on it, the ball sank into the bottom right of the net for the game-winner. It was the first of Keppler’s career.
The Mountaineers had an opportunity in the 29th minute, as Guthrie came out of goal and Erica Henderson took a shot towards the RU net. Junior midfielder Ashley Medcalf (Waipahu, Hawaii) was there to make the stop for the Scarlet Knights, deflecting the ball off the post.
Guthrie made a diving grab in the 33rd minute, as West Virginia’s Caroline Szwed beat Becky Wise (West Springfield, Mass.) inside the box. Szwed took a hard shot to Guthrie’s left that the keeper dived to stop just before the line.
WVU outshot RU 11-3 for the game. Guthrie made six saves on the afternoon and Medcalf stopped another.
On Nov. 9, the Scarlet Knights will find out if they earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Championship.
Game Notes
*Rutgers played in its 10th-consecutive BIG EAST Championship – all under head coach Glenn Crooks.
*The game marks the fifth-straight year that Rutgers has advanced to the BIG EAST Quarterfinals.
*Rutgers played in its seventh 1-0 game of 2009. RU is 5-2 when one goal is scored. The Scarlet Knights also played its tenth game decided by one goal or less. In those games, the squad is 7-3.
