PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 5 Rutgers women's soccer cruised to a 4-0 victory over Saint Louis in Friday's NCAA Second Round matchup at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights improved to an overall mark of 19-3 on the season.
Freshman Riley Tiernan led the way with two goals and an assist, while senior Amirah Ali posted a goal and an assist as well. Freshman Kylie Daigle notched a goal, as senior Frankie Tagliaferri and Emma Misal contributed assists in the win.
Rutgers earned its lead early, finding the back of the net less than four minutes into the game. Tiernan started things off with a pass from midfield to Tagliaferri. Tagliaferri then crossed to Ali at the top of the box, who went one-on-one with the keeper for the goal and a 1-0 lead.
The Scarlet Knights posted 13 shots in the first frame, while holding the Billiken's to just three shots in the opening frame.
The RU offense came alive in the second half, as Tiernan started things early with a goal in the 49th minute. Following a pass from Ali, Tiernan broke away and took a shot from the top center of the box to give RU a 2-0 cushion.
Tiernan didn't stop there, she went on to add her second goal of the night in the 69th minute off an assist from Misal. A goal once again from the top of the 18-yard box.
Classmate
Kylie Daigle joined in in the 79th minute, cruising from midfield past numerous defenders to notch her third goal of the season for the 4-0 lead. The four goals marks the most scored by the Scarlet Knights in an NCAA Tournament game since 2015.
The defense held Saint Louis to just seven shots overall in the match, including three on goal, in route to secure RU's 13th clean sheet of the year.
With tonight's match, Ali and fellow senior captain Gabby Provenzano each reached 100 career games played. The duo stands as the leaders in career appearances for the program.
Rutgers advances to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. The No. 1 seed Scarlet Knights remain home to host No. 4 seed TCU on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. for the Third Round matchup.
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