PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 13 Rutgers field hockey (13-4, 4-4 Big Ten) concluded its regular season with an overtime victory, downing American 1-0.
Daphne Groothuis scored the game's only goal in the extra period to give the Scarlet Knights the win over the Eagles (7-7, 3-2 Patriot League).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was even throughout, entering halftime scoreless on just three total shots. In the second half, RU pushed for a goal, outshooting the visitors 3-0 and gaining three penalty corner attempts. A late penalty corner shot by
Austyn Cuneo was waved off, sending the game to overtime scoreless.
In overtime, Groothuis made a spectacular play to give the home team the win. She forced a turnover on the offensive end, and then quickly shot it in for the game-winning goal.
QUOTABLE
"I'm really pleased with how the team battled. We knew that it would be a tough game. We had such a big win on Friday against Iowa, that took a lot of energy out of the team. American is a really good team and they've been battling with the top teams in the country. The team just stayed focused and calm despite the frustration of not getting the outcomes they wanted. And they got it done in overtime. I'm really pleased with the effort. I thought our overtime group was outstanding. Daphne's finish on that goal was great, it was just gritty, digging in and finding a way to win."
"There's definitely a lot of emotions. It was great to celebrate them today. This team is so excited about this group of seniors. We really want to keep playing for them."
POSTGAME NOTES
- Daphne Groothuis now leads the team with 12 goals and 37 points on the season. She has the sixth most points and seventh most goals in a single season in Rutgers history.
- This is the team's ninth shutout of the season, leading the the nation.
- Nine shutouts are the most RU has had in a single season since they had nine in 1993.
- This is the fourth 1-0 win of the season.
- RU finishes the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
UP NEXT
Rutgers is the number five seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights will face the number four seed Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.
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