PISCATAWAY, N.J. - A special season for No. 3 Rutgers field hockey field continues, as the Scarlet Knights defeated No. 7 Penn State, 2-1, to move on to the Big Ten Championship game. The Scarlet Knights advance on to Sunday's Big Ten Championship matchup against No. 2 Michigan at 12 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights earned their 11
th ranked win of the season and fifth top-10 victory in improving to a program-best 17-3 on the season. RU will play again on Sunday in search of the program's first ever Big Ten title.
RU got goals from
Bridy Molyneaux and
Kassidy Shetler. The defense was incredible, with
Gianna Glatz making three saves and
Kerrie Burns making a defensive save in the final minute. The team took advantage of a raucous Rutgers crowd, with an attendance of 1,241.
"I'm so proud of this team and this program," head coach
Meredith Civico. "We knew this game would be a battle. Playing back-to-back in this tournament is so challenging. Penn State played really well, but I'm so proud of our team for how we defended, how we were able to take advantage of our opportunities and get ourselves into the Championships. That's incredible. I had a real vision for this program and we put our heart and souls into this."
Rutgers got on the board first, scoring just 6:27 into the contest to grab hold of the lead.
Katie Larmour pushed the ball into the circle and sent it on goal. Penn State's defense tried to clear the ball off the line, but
Bridy Molyneaux was stationed there to make sure the ball finished in the back of the net.
In a tightly played contest, that score would hold up through halftime. Late in the third quarter, RU added an insurance tally. Rutgers set up a penalty corner, and
Milena Redlingshoefer fired the ball in.
Kassidy Shetler was perfectly positioned to redirect it home for a 2-0 lead.
In the final quarter, Penn State pressed desperately towards goal. The Nittany Lions added a tally with nine minutes remaining to cut the lead in half, but the Scarlet Knights held strong from there. In the last minute of play, PSU earned a final penalty corner. A quality shot was sent towards goal, but
Kerrie Burns came up with a huge defensive save to preserve the win as RU celebrated the 2-1 win.
"The last minute of the game, we knew what was on the line. Our whole mindset is that nothing gets past us," Burns explained of the final defensive stand. "Our defensive penalty corner unit does a great job. The whole defense was incredible, across all lines from the defense to the backs. We took our chances, we got our goals, so that was a positive. But it was total team defense, every player behind the ball. It was awesome."
Rutgers continues to make history, improving to 17-3 on the season, already a program record for wins in a season. A defense-led team, RU has surrendered just 20 goals in 20 games this season.
"We knew that Penn State had some really good individuals,"
Iris Langejans said. "My goal was to be so focused on their key players, and that helped us be successful. We took our opportunities in the attacking zone, and our corners were really effective, that all worked well together. Our crowd was insane, it was so overwhelming. I feel so lucky to be here. Playing this next game on our home turf will be a big advantage."
The Scarlet Knights advance to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time. They will face No. 2 ranked Michigan at noon, televised by BTN.
"I told the team, I can't stop smiling. I can't believe it,"
Kerrie Burns said. "But I can believe it. The hard work that this team has put in, even over the past five years since I've been here. Today was incredible. The feeling from the fans, the noise they made helped carry us over that line, so big shout out to Rutgers Nation for that. It was incredible."
Gallery: (11-5-2021) Field Hockey Defeats Penn State in Big Ten Semis
Notables
- With the win, Rutgers improved to 15-1 at home over the past two seasons.
- Redlingshoefer's assist gave her 21 for her career, tying for seventh all-time at RU.
- Katie Larmour now has 52 career points, tying for 12th all-time at RU.
