PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 5 women's soccer is set to open the NCAA Tournament First Round this weekend, hosting Bucknell on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. ET at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights earned a No. 1 seed for the national tournament, the highest seed in program history. The match will be streamed live on B1G+ for free
 

"This team has made history once winning the conference, and we did it again getting the No.1 seed for NCAA Tournament. But in a tournament with talent across the board, there's no room to slack off and let the energy get low. Right now the focus is to enjoy each other's company and keep the energy high at practices. We want to treat every single game in this tournament like it's the final," said freshman forward Kylie Daigle.

"We are so excited to be named a No. 1 Seed in the NCAA tournament. We love nothing more than to play at home in front of all our friends and family who have supported us through this season ," said senior captain Shea Holland.

"We have put in so much work this season and have had our focus on our goals. Getting the No. 1 seed has proven to us that our hard work is paying off and we are getting everything we have worked for.  Being a No. 1 seed has also given us the opportunity to host a Yurcak allowing all of our family, friends, and all our supporters that have been there through it all to come and enjoy the the games," said freshman back Emily Mason.

 

THIS WEEK'S QUICK KICKS

WATCH AND LISTEN | Saturday's First Round match will be available to stream on B1G+ without a subscription. Live stats of the match will be available at NCAA.com. WRSU (88.7 FM) will broadcast the game as well.

TICKETS | Tickets for the NCAA Tournament can be purchased by clicking here. Fans three years and older will require a ticket for entry. Rutgers' students can claim a free ticket to the event.
 
Rutgers moved to mobile-only tickets, which can be added to an Apple Wallet or Google Pay app. Fans can also download the Scarlet Knight App to access tickets, news, live updates and more. Tickets can be purchased at the gate with cash only.
 
PARKING | Parking for the NCAA Tournament is free at Yurcak Field. Fans are required to register their vehicle by clicking here. A one-time sign up will have the vehicle set for all home contests this season.

RU'S LAST TIME OUT | Rutgers (17-3, 10-0 Big Ten) advanced to its third straight Big Ten semifinal, defeating Iowa 2-0. Sophomore Allison Lowrey scored her sixth goal and team-high fourth game winner this season. Senior Amirah Ali posted her ninth goal of 2021, marking her 100th career point and 41st career goal. Freshman forward Riley Tiernan added her 11^th assist of the year.
 
The Scarlet Knights appeared in the program's third Big Ten Championship game on Sunday. Though a program 13-game win streak was paused, the 2021 Big Ten Conference Champions wrapped a successful campaign heading into NCAA Selections. Senior captains Amirah Ali and Gabby Provenzano were named to their second consecutive Big Ten All-Tournament teams.
 
NO. 1 SEED | Rutgers is tabbed a No. 1 seed for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The seed marks the highest selection in program history, having been a No. 2 in its historic 2015 College Cup run.

BIG TEN HONORS | Following the program's first Big Ten title, Frankie Tagliaferri was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, Gabby Provenzano the Big Ten Defender of the Year and Riley Tiernan the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The three player of the year awards marks the most ever in a single year for the Scarlet Knights and the first multiple top awards in single year since two in 2015.
 
Amirah Ali (First Team), Riley Tiernan (First Team), Frankie Tagliaferri (First Team), Gabby Provenzano (First Team), Becci Fluchel (Second Team), and Meagan McClelland (Third Team) all earned All-Big Ten honors. Riley Tiernan, Kylie Daigle and Kassidy Banks were selected to the All-Freshman Team, while Shea Holland was tabbed the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient for Rutgers.
 
Head Coach Mike O'Neill earned Coach of the Year accolades. In his eighth season at the helm, O'Neill guided the program in setting a plethora of records, picking up his 100^th career victory along the way.  A full release on the awards can be found here. 

ON THE ATTACK | A total of 18 different Scarlet Knights have contributed to scoring this year. RU has outscored opponents 55-13 on the year, including 13 different goal scorers, 11 multi-goal contributors, and 53 team assists. 

Frankie Tagliaferri leads the squad with 31 points (12g, 7a) on the season. Amirah Ali follows with 23 points (9g, 5a) of her own while Riley Tiernan owns 19 points (4g, 11a). Allison Lowrey (6g, 4a) has notched 16 points, Sam Kroeger (5g, 3a) and Sara Brocious (4g, 5a) each own 13 points to round out the double-digit point contributors.

Rutgers ranks ninth in the nation in scoring offense with 2.75 goals per game across 20 matches. The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten and are top 10 in the nation in total goals (6^th -55), total assists (10th - 53), and total points (7^th - 163). Tiernan ranks 13th in the NCAA with 11 assists, while Tagliaferri ranks 22nd with 31 total points.

SHUTOUT SOCCER | The Scarlet Knights have registered 11 shutouts this season, including seven against Big Ten opponents. Rutgers has held all 20 opponents to seven or less shots on goal this season, including nine to three or less SOG. The Scarlet Knights kept 13 to six or less shots in the match overall. Dating back to 2019, RU has held 48 straight opponents to single-digit shots on goal in each match.

BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Rutgers claimed 13 conference weekly awards this regular season, the most in a single season for the program. The honors have included Offensive honors for Frankie Tagliferri (8/31) and Amirah Ali (10/26), Defensive accolades for Gabby Provenzano (9/7 & 9/28), Becci Fluchel (9/21 & 10/12) and Allison Lynch (10/5 & 10/26), Goalkeeper honors for Meagan McClelland (10/26) and Freshman recognition for Riley Tiernan (8/31, 10/12 & 10/19) and Kassidy Banks (9/21).
 
MAC HERMANN TROPHY | Seniors Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri are named to the 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The trophy is awarded to the National Player of the Year. It marks the first time two Scarlet Knights have been added to the list in the same season.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD | Seniors Gabby Provenzano and Frankie Tagliafferi are named 2021 Senior CLASS Award candidates.  The award recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. It marks the second straight year RU has had a candidate for the Award, as classmate Amirah Ali was named a finalist and First Team selection in 2020-21.

Tagliaferri was tabbed one of 10 finalist for the award. Nationwide fan voting is now open to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through November 22. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup® championships in December.
  
IN THE RANKINGS | Rutgers is ranked in the Top 25 for the 12th straight week of the year and seventh consecutive in the Top 10, standing at 5th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights come in at No. 3 in the most recent RPI rankings of the season. RU is also ranked No. 7 by Top Drawer Soccer.
 
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