PRINCETON, N.J. (Sept. 5, 2014) - Four second half goals, including a free kick laser from junior Rachel Cole (Teaneck, N.J.) and the first score of freshman Torie Ahde's (Jackson, N.J.) career, guided the Rutgers women's soccer team to a 5-0 shutout of Princeton Friday night at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights (4-0-0, 0-0-0) closed their nonconference slate unblemished, the program's third consecutive 4-0 start and seventh overall in team history. RU has shutout three-straight opponents and allowed one goal through four matches, outscoring the opposition, 12-1, in that span.
After entering the half up, 1-0, the Scarlet Knights erupted for four goals in the second stanza. Senior Stef Scholz (South Hackensack, N.J.) accounted for two of those goals, the first coming in a scramble in front of the net in the 52nd minute to put RU ahead, 2-0. Scholz notched her second goal of the match in the 68th minute, receiving a forward header from junior Brianne Reed (Tinton Falls, N.J.) and finishing back right with her right foot. The assist was the second of the season for Reed.
Following Scholz's second-career multi-goal game, Cole got in on the action in the 76th minute. From a distance similar to her double overtime game-winner last season over Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals, Cole buried the 35-yard free kick. The goal made it 4-0 Rutgers.
Ahde, in her first career game, capped the scoring for the Scarlet Knights. With time winding down in the second half, Ahde corralled the ball from the air, stepped forward and scored from the left side just outside of the box with 0.1 seconds left on the clock.
The Scarlet Knights took a 1-0 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Shots were tied, 5-5, after the opening stanza, with neither team recording a shot in the final 18 minutes of action.
Senior Amy Pietrangelo (Laval, Quebec, Canada) put RU up 1-0 early on in regulation, stealing a deflected pass from the Princeton backline and booting the ball from the middle 18 with her right foot. The score made it four consecutive matches to start the season in which the Scarlet Knights scored first.
Though it does not go down as an assist on the stat sheet, junior Maggie Morash (Bernardsville, N.J.) made the play possible, sending a ball ahead that was knocked down by Princeton and briefly possessed by the Tigers before Pietrangelo stole it away.
Freshman goalkeeper Casey Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J.) played the majority of the action, and combined with junior Alana Jimenez (Ocean, N.J.) for her third consecutive shutout. Murphy made three saves in the contest.
The Scarlet Knights hit the road again next week, traveling to College Park, Md., to face Maryland in the first Big Ten competition in the history of Rutgers University. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field.
Game Notes
- With the victory, Rutgers improved to 4-0 for the third consecutive season. It is the scarlet Knights' seventh 4-0 start in program history.
- Head coach Mike O'Neill improved to 4-0 on the season and 7-0 for his head coaching career. He now owns the best start to a head coaching career in program history in terms of wins. Former coach Charlie Duccilli guided the Scarlet Knights to a 6-0-2 start through his first eight games at the helm in RU's first season in 1984.
- The Scarlet Knights now lead the all-time series with Princeton 16-8-3.
- For the second consecutive year, RU scored five goals against the Tigers. The Scarlet Knights defeated Princeton, 5-1, on Sept. 15, 2013 last season at Yurcak Field. That match also marked Scholz's last multi-goal game, when she notched four goals for the second-highest total in program history.
- It was RU's sixth five-goal match since the 2006 season. The Scarlet Knights also posted five goals against Princeton (Sept. 13, 2013), Cincinnati (Oct. 14, 2012), Villanova (Sept. 22, 2008), Farleigh Dickinson (Sept. 23, 2007) and USF (Oct. 1, 2006).
- Ahde scored the first goal of her career in her first career action.
- Pietrengelo's goal was her third of the season and sixth of her career. Her three goals and seven points this season are both career highs, surpassing her previous high of two goal and five points set during her sophomore campaign in 2012.
- Reed notched her second assist of the season, surpassing her previous best set last year.
- Rutgers recorded its third consecutive shutout and has allowed just one goal through four matches this season. Dating back to last season, the Scarlet Knights have allowed one goal in their last seven matches.
- The Scarlet Knights have recorded double-digit shots in 22 of their last 26 matches dating back to the 2013 season.
- Junior Hayley Katkowski (Westford, Mass.) started her 48th consecutive game in the midfield for Rutgers.
- Three Scarlet Knights saw the first time of their career: Ahde, classmate Jessie Sexton (Marietta, Ga.) and redshirt freshman Shannon Phillips (Greenelt, Md.).
- Murphy collected the third shutout of her career in the win.
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