Women’s Soccer Selected as No. 1 Seed with 10th Straight NCAA Tournament Bid
Nov 08 | Women's Soccer
Scarlet Knights earn No. 1 seed, the highest seed in program history
"To earn a No. 1 seed is an incredible feeling and I couldn't be happier for this team. We have worked so hard since day one in captain's preseason to get to where we are now. Being able to host at Yurcak in front of our families, friends, and Rutgers Nation is unbelievable. There's no better feeling then knowing we get to play home. As we prepare for the tournament something special about this team is that we truly are a family and 28 strong. Knowing that no matter what you do everyone will have your back is remarkable," said senior captain Gabby Provenzano.
"Getting a No. 1 seed means so much to all of us. We have put so much work in to this season and it's nice to see it pay off. It is so exciting to continue playing on our home field in front of all of our fans and we are excited to make a run for the national title," said sophomore midfielder Becci Fluchel.
💃💃💃 𝗚𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗡' ‼️
— RUWS | BIG TEN CHAMPIONS (@RUWSoccer) November 8, 2021
No. 4 #RUWS earns a bid the @NCAASoccer Tournament for the 10th straight season! The 2021 Big Ten Conference Champions claim a No. 1 seed, the highest in program history.! pic.twitter.com/ATFGqplTF5
The Scarlet Knights continue an historic season for the program after being crowned the 2021 Big Ten Conference champions. Rutgers went undefeated in the Big Ten regular season to secure the outright title in program history, also becoming the first Big Ten team to complete a flawless mark in league play since 2005. The team title marked the first for the program and Rutgers overall in any sport since joining the league.
As the regular season champions, Rutgers earned the No. 1 seed in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament. The team advanced to its third straight semifinal and fourth overall, going on to reach the championship game for the third time in program history.
"Earning a No. 1 seed position honestly left me speechless. Being able to host our game and have all of our amazing fans and family be able to come and support us is huge. This team is not only 28 players strong, but we have grit and a drive that not a lot of other teams can say they have. We are confident in ourselves and we are gonna bring the championship home for R family," said freshman forward Riley Tiernan.
"Finding out together today that we earned a No. 1 national seed for the upcoming tournament made us so excited to further our journey this season with even more history making in our future. We look to learn and move on from our conference play to refocus and prepare for our match Saturday against another good side. Our team knows we have a lot of soccer ahead of us this season and we cant wait to play in front of the best fans in the country for the NCAA's," said senior captain Nicole Binkley.
A plethora of records have already been set by the 2021 squad. A total of 15 regular season victories and 10 conference triumphs are the most ever for the program. Eighteen different Scarlet Knights have contributed to program-record totals of 55 goals, 53 assists and 163 points. The group also established a program-best 13-game winning streak for the record books.
RU will appear in the Tournament for the 10th consecutive year, 12th time in the last 14 years, and 16th time overall. The Scarlet Knights have been ranked or receiving votes for 14 straight seasons, climbing to its highest ranking of No. 4 this year. The team enters the NCAA Tournament at No. 3 in the latest RPI.
#RUWS opens the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 13, hosting Bucknell for a 4 PM match at Yurcak Field!
— RUWS | BIG TEN CHAMPIONS (@RUWSoccer) November 9, 2021
📰https://t.co/zQXOcdmmog pic.twitter.com/BU8ks2MCct
The Scarlet Knights' No. 1 seed is the highest for the program since being tabbed a No. 2 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
🔒💃⚽️😍 https://t.co/t1oidypz2x
— RUWS | BIG TEN CHAMPIONS (@RUWSoccer) November 8, 2021
"Something about this team that will guide us through this tournament is that we always have each others back no matter what. We are willing to do anything for each other and are always supportive on and off the field. Knowing that if I have questions about the game or just in general, I can lean on my teammates to help me and be there for me. It's something that will forever be such an amazing thing about this team," said freshman back Emily Mason.
"As we move forward to the NCAA tournament, our team is working to make more history for our school as well as keep the mindset that we're playing for something much greater than ourselves. We're fueled from the season we've worked through so far and plan to take it one game at a time with laser focus on the small details and habits of our game," said Binkley.
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