Sept. 11, 2016 Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 23 Rutgers women's soccer dominated Drexel Sunday afternoon at Yurrcak Field, as five different players scored in a 5-0 rout of the Dragons. Freshman Nicole Whitley assisted on the first three goals of the match, as senior forward Madison Tiernan notched a goal and an assist for three points.
"I think every day they're getting better, and I think what they're learning is when something doesn't work, it's OK. Over the weekend, that's what they did. They grew in confidence as every minute went by," said head coach Mike O'Neill. "There were times today where we needed to play in tight spaces because that's the game, and they were very confident in those tight spaces and we're able to see a bit more. I thought they executed the game plan, they worked hard, they played with confidence, played with purpose, and scored some great goals."
Freshman Carina Hendley scored for the second consecutive contest early on to give the Scarlet Knights a quick 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.
Before the end of the first half, Tiernan scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season, firing a shot directly at Drexel (4-4) goalkeeper Christiana Ogunsami that squirted through the end line.
Rutgers (5-1-1) came out in the second half even more lethal offensively, getting goals from Colby Ciarrocca (49'), Jenna Seddon (77'), and Erica Murphy (82'). Ciarracco's goal was her first this season, while Murphy got on the board for the first time as a Scarlet Knight. Seddon scored her first goal since Aug. 23, 2015 against Hofstra.
Senior goalkeeper Alana Jimenez earned her fourth career shutout. Junior keeper Brianna Scarola saw her first action in net, logging 8:48 minutes.
The Scarlet Knights open the Big Ten schedule at Yurcak Field next Friday against Maryland at 7 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Rutgers improved to 7-0 all-time against Drexel.
• RU notched its fourth shutout of the season Friday.
• The Scarlet Knights are now 43-6-4(.849) in nonconference matches at Yurcak Field since 2007.
• Rutgers' allowed four shots against Drexel, which tied for the fewest this season. It was the second-straight game RU surrendered just four shots.
• RU improved to 53-2-3 (.940) since 2008 when leading at halftime.
• The Scarlet Knights tallied at least 20 shots for the third time this season.
• The Scarlet Knights notched their seventh five-goal match since 2006 and first since a win at Princeton on Sept. 5, 2014.
• Tiernan added to her team-leading goal tally with her fourth of the year Sunday. She is two shy of trying her single-season career high.
• With seven more points Tiernan will move into a tie for 10th on RU's all-time list.
• Tiernan and Whitley both recorded their second three-point games of the year after each posting a goal and an assist to start the season at Rider. The assist was Tiernan's second this season.
• Ciarrocca scored her second goal of the season.
• Seddon scored her first goal of the season and second of her career.
• Murphy scored her first goal at Rutgers and 27th of her college career.
• Senior Allison Ryan recorded her first points this season on her second-career assist.
• Jimenez recorded her fourth shutout of the season.
• Hendley scored for the second consecutive game and now has two goals in her career.
• Whitley recorded three assists Sunday for the first time in her career. She leads Rutgers with six helpers.
• Whitley has the most assists in a season for a freshman since Tiernan had five in 2013.
• Whitley is the first Scarlet Knight with two-plus assists in a game since Samantha Valliant registered two against Iowa on Oct. 28, 2015.
• The last Scarlet Knight with three assists in a game was RU's all-time assist leader, Gina DiMaio, on Sept. 22, 2008.
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