SANTA CLARA, CALIF. – No. 5 Rutgers women's soccer bowed out of the 2021 NCAA College Cup, dropping a 1-0 match with No. 1 Florida State in Friday night's semifinal at Stevens Stadium. The No. 1 seed Scarlet Knights and top-seed Seminoles were even in shots, 9-9, and shots on goal, 4-4. Senior goalkeeper
Meagan McClelland made three saves in net, while RU forced FSU's keeper to make four saves as well.
Rutgers capped the year with a mark of of 19-4-2, matching the most wins in program history. The 2021 Big Ten Conference Champions, with an undefeated record of 10-0, set numerous program records along the way.
"Going into the season when we started day one, we knew there was something special. We knew that it was truly a family and we were truly sisters. That no matter what we were going to have each other's backs through the ups and the downs. And I think that's what carried us through this year," said senior back Gabby Provenzano.
"We preach 28 strong and we're definitely a family. We go through everything together. We don't leave anyone out to dry. We're always there for each other. I think that's what got us this far was us putting in everything that we can, all 28 of us, not just one person," said senior forward Amirah Ali.
"Since July 14, we set our goals together as a team, whether it was out-of-conference, in conference and postseason, and we went after every single one of them. I'm so proud of this team and the fight we've given in every single game, and especially this last one. A lot of teams would be scared going against a team like Florida State and I think that we were underestimated from by a lot of people. I'm beyond proud of the fight that we put in and all the chances that we had, which were great chances. his game could have easily went the other way. Florida State is obviously is a great team. They always are. But I'm really proud of the fight that we put in today and we fought until the last second of the game," said senior midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri.
In the opening 10 minutes of the match, Rutgers and Florida State each posted a shot on goal with the keepers both recording a save on the attempts. The defensive first half continued as the score would remain knotted at 0-0 entering halftime.
McClelland recorded a save to start the second half, keeping the match scoreless. In the 71
st minute, the Seminoles managed to score on a corner kick for a 1-0 edge.
The Scarlet Knights never relented. In the 78th minute, sophomore forward
Allison Lowrey sent a shot in, which was blocked by the keeper. Tagliaferri took a shot off the rebound, though another stop was made.
Rutgers closed out the match with four consecutive shots, as an attempt from sophomore forward Sam Kroger went just inches high of the cross bar in the 86th minute. With 10 seconds left on the clock, RU earned a corner, however, the header would go wide.
Appearing in their 10th straight NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet Knights reached the College Cup for the second time in program history and the first since 2015.
"I've only spent a year with this team, but I can already see the legacy that the 2015 has left behind and all the support. The [2015 team] all sent us videos today so I hope that we can all continue to do that for the teams that come. I hope you have set a good example and have left a good culture for this program to continue to build on because we've done a lot this season. We've grown together through the ups and the downs and I'm sure that 2015 did the same exact thing, that's why they're all so close and they still keep in touch today. I'm in awe from the Rutgers alumni that continue to support us and that's something that we're always going to leave behind and do together for years to come," said Tagliaferri.
"What we leave behind is our grit and determination. I don't think for one moment out there that in our head, there wasn't a thought that we were coming back and we were winning this game. I think going on for all the future teams is just knowing to always have confidence and always believe in yourself," said Provenzano.
"All the past alumni, they're always supportive. Always coming back and making sure that this team is still striving the way that it always has been as a powerhouse program. And one thing we like to stress is Forever Rutgers, Forever Family so no matter where we are even after our season, no matter what we go on to in our lives, we're always knowing that Rutgers is in our heart. We always give everything that we have and that's the legacy we want to leave behind is that whoever is playing on that field, give whatever you have all the time, 100% and that is what Jersey is all about," said Ali.
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