PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 9 Rutgers women's soccer (7-2-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) topped Nebraska (4-6-1, 0-2-1 Big Ten) by a score of 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights picked up their first program victory over the Cornhuskers since joining the Big Ten, breaking through a streak of six straight draws between the programs.
Sophomore forward
Allison Lowrey recorded the game winner to give RU the 1-0 advantage at the end of the first half. It marked Lowrey's first goal of the year. Freshman forward
Kylie Daigle registered the assist with a pass from midfield, marking her second career helper.
Rutgers and Nebraska each found four shots in the first half, as McClelland saved two and Nebraska's keeper saved three. With 30 seconds to go until the break, RU broke through to get on the board first with Lowrey's goal off an incredible pass from Daigle.
"I got a pass from Gabby through the middle. We were finding those pockets, we found those pockets in the beginning of the game. I looked up and I always know where Allie is. She was on and she hit a banger," said Daigle. "After Penn State, we figured we can really do anything. With Nebraska, we knew we hadn't beaten them in six years so we wanted to make history. And we did."
"Coach always says know your players. I know Kylie can hit that ball so I made the run, played it and, you know, swing hard in case you hit it. We wanted to be a goal up going into halftime and of course we didn't want to let anything up. We were able to find one today and got a clean sheet so that is the most important part," said Lowrey.
Senior goalkeeper Meagan McClelland recorded four saves for RU's fifth shutout of the season. The Scarlet Knights held the Huskers to seven total shots and just three shots on goal, recording a team save as well. RU has now held 37 straight opponents to single-digit shots on goal dating back to 2019.
In the match's final three minutes, McClelland notched two of her saves to back up a team save, holding off Nebraska for its second straight conference win.
"Our team puts in so much hard work for 90 minutes and they make my job really easy. In the last 5-10 minutes when they're tired and they're just pushing themselves to the limit, it feels great to be able to have their backs and come up with the save. It's us having each other's back. We bend but we don't break. It was good that we stayed strong at the end there," said McClelland.
It marked the first victory for the Scarlet Knights over the Huskers since joining the Big Ten, having played to a draw in six straight meetings for an all-time record of 1-0-6.
"The win just tells us that we can do it. No matter how hyped up the other team is, we know that we are good and we can work hard to get the win," said freshman back Emily Mason.
Up next, Rutgers hits the road for a pair of Big Ten matchups, starting with Minnesota on Thursday, Sept. 30.
Follow Rutgers women's soccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Scarlet Knights App for Apple or Android today.
- RU -
