PISCATAWAY, N.J. – For the second consecutive match and fourth time in overtime, sophomore forward Amirah Ali scored the golden goal to capture a 1-0 victory for Rutgers women's soccer (9-1-4, 5-0-2) over Illinois (8-6, 3-4) on Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Meagan McClelland picked up her fifth shutout of the season and third in league play to keep the Scarlet Knight unbeaten in conference action.
 

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Today we honored a member of R Family. The KG, in remembrance of Kayleigh Galante, on our jerseys is a tribute to her "Never Give Up" mentality and to her always remaining in our hearts. 💕 Forever a part of RU. Forever in our hearts.

A post shared by Rutgers Women's Soccer (@ruwsoccer) on Oct 7, 2018 at 1:26pm PDT

 
QUICK STATS
Ali posted her 10th goal of the season, marking her fifth game winner of the year. Sophomore forward Nneka Moneme added her first assist of the season on the golden goal.
 
Defensively, RU's defense held UI to just four shots in the contest, while McClelland notched two saves.
 
THE MATCH
Rutgers and Illinois played through a defensive first half on the pitch. The Scarlet Knights rattled off 12 shots, while holding the Fighting Illini to a single shot. The teams would enter the half knotted at 0-0.
 
RU returned from the break strong on the attack with three shots blocked in the opening minutes. The defensive battle would continue as the score remained even at the end of regulation.
 
McClelland established an early momentum for RU in the OT period with a tremendous save in net.
 

DENIED! Meagan McClelland with the stop in the first OT period to keep it 0-0! #NoRetreat pic.twitter.com/zNMMmR5LrL

— RutgersWomensSoccer (@RUWSoccer) October 7, 2018

 
With two minutes left in the first overtime, Moneme would evade a defender, sending a short cross to an open Ali about six-yards out. Ali used one touch to net the golden goal inside the left post, lifting RU to its third straight victory.
 

VICTORY!! Amirah Ali lifts RU to victory for the second straight match with her 10th goal and fourth golden goal of the season! #RFutbol 1, Illinois 0 OT pic.twitter.com/nS7E31FgJV

— RutgersWomensSoccer (@RUWSoccer) October 7, 2018

 

UP NEXT 
Rutgers hits the road for two Big Ten matches, starting with Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 12. The Scarlet Knights then travel to Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 4 for a match on Big Ten Network. 

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers improved to a record of 3-0-1 in conference games at home. Since 2006, the Scarlet Knights hold a record of 108-19-17 at Yurcak Field.
• RU has played in eight straight overtime contests, marking the longest stretch of extra time games in program history. RU holds a record of 5-0-3 in those contests and is 5-0-4 overall in overtime matches this year.
• A total of nine games this year have gone past regulation to match a program record for RU. In 2017, the Scarlet Knights also played in nine overtime contests.
• Ali (5g, 2a) and Moneme (2g, 1a) have scored or assisted eight of RU's nine goals in conference action.
• Ali recorded her tenth goal of the season and fifth game winner of the year. Her five game winners pushed her into a tie for third on the Rutgers single-season charts.
• Ali has scored in four overtimes this season, netting the golden goal against No. 14 Northwestern last game, scoring in the final 11 seconds of the match versus Iowa and less than a minute into overtime at Maryland. Last season, she netted the game winner in the ranked overtime win over Wisconsin, scoring 26 seconds into the first OT period also on BTN.

 
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