Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Oct. 31, 2014) - Rutgers field hockey entered the final Big Ten Conference game of the regular season with a simple scenario in front of them: win and in. A victory over Indiana would qualify the Scarlet Knights for next week's Big Ten Conference Tournament. After a tight game against the Hoosiers that came down to the final minutes, Rutgers did just that, scoring late for a 2-1 victory that earned the squad its first postseason trip since 2010.

"It was a great win," head coach Meredith Long said. "The team performed well under pressure. There was a lot on the line today and we played composed, mature hockey. It was a tough game, but we earned the win at the end of the day."

The game was tightly contested in the midfield for the first 18 minutes before the Scarlet Knights broke through for a goal. Rutgers carried the ball down the right sideline, and Katie Champion (Egg Harbor, N.J.) sent a pass across the middle. Nicole Imbriaco (Clark, N.J.) took the pass, stickhandled around the goalkeeper, and smashed the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

The score held in Rutgers' favor into halftime, but Indiana came out strong early in the second stanza and tied the game. After an Indiana corner, the first IU shot was saved, but Audra Heilman followed up on the rebound for her team-leading 14th goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1.

The margin would remain even for nearly the next 30 minutes, as Rutgers continually pressed to score the go-ahead goal. Finally, a corner earned by the Scarlet Knights with just under three minutes on the clock would prove decisive. RU inserted the corner, and used crisp passing to find an open player. Sofia Walia (Surrey, British Columbia) sent a pass over to the right side for midfielder Ali Stever (Ocean City, N.J.), and Stever sent it right back to Walia. The sophomore shot it home to put Rutgers ahead for good.

Goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes (Melbourne, Australia) had a strong game for RU, making five saves and making several aggressive plays to break up the Hoosiers' attack. Rutgers was outshot 13-11 by IU, but held a 10-6 edge in shots on goal. The Scarlet Knights earned seven penalty corners, including five in the second half.

Rutgers will conclude the regular season on Sunday, hosting Penn at 1 p.m. The game will be Senior Day, with Rutgers honoring seniors Jenn Staab (Marmora, N.J.) and Sophie Wright (Devizes, United Kingdom) in a pregame ceremony.

The 2-1 victory gave Rutgers its second Big Ten Conference victory of the season, and ensured Rutgers of the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rutgers' quarterfinal game will be at 3 p.m. on Thursday, with the opponent still to be determined.

"It's so exciting," Coach Long said of the upcoming trip to the Big Ten Tournament. "These players earned this. They won their spot outright, which is awesome. I'm really proud of how we are playing at this stage. Making the conference tournament is a clean slate. It's a whole new season now and it's a great opportunity."

GAME NOTES:
- The appearance in the Big Ten Tournament will be Rutgers first postseason appearance since the 2010 BIG EAST Tournament.
- The victory was the second straight 2-1 victory for RU and the 12th one goal game of the season.
- Ali Stever's assist was her second of the season, setting a new career high.
- Katie Champion's sixth assist of the year tied her with Sofia Walia for the team high.
- Nicole Imbriaco scored her fifth goal of the season on her fifth shot on net this year.
- For the second straight season, Rutgers defeated Indiana on a goal in the game's final three minutes. Last season, a Katie Champion goal with 1:14 left gave Rutgers a 1-0 victory in Bloomington, Ind.