PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 9 Rutgers women's soccer will hit the road for two Big Ten matchups this weekend. The Scarlet Knights first travel West to Minnesota for a 7 p.m. ET match on Thursday, Sept. 30. RU then visits Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 3, kicking off at 12 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network.

"We have good energies going into this week. Starting off Big Ten play with two really good wins is going to definitely help us with our confidence. The team chemistry is growing so much and we're all developing so many good ways to play with each other. I think it's going to be a good weekend," said sophomore forward Riley Tiernan.

"It'll be important for us to carry the positive things from this weekend, into the next two games. Take each game as it comes. And continue to strengthen the relationships we've built on and off the field. We have to take this momentum into winning on the road because I think that's important for us to be able to get wins on the road, as well as at home. We've got to carry a Champions mindset and take every challenge as it comes," said junior back Maddie Brant.

"It felt really good to pick up another Big Ten win, especially since the last six times we've met Nebraska we've only tied them. The win gives us the confidence to go into this week. It'll be different playing on the road, but we're excited for the challenge," said freshman back Kassidy Banks.

  

THIS WEEK'S QUICK KICKS

WATCH | Thursday's game will be streamed live on B1G+. Sunday's will be televised nationally on Big Ten Network. Both will be accompanied by live stats.

RU'S LAST TIME OUT | Rutgers (7-2-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) shut out Nebraska by a score of 1-0 on Sunday. Sophomore forward Allison Lowrey scored the game winner just seconds before halftime, marking her second goal of the year. Freshman Kylie Daigle assisted the goal with a pass from midfield for her second career helper.

In net, senior goalkeeper Meagan McClelland recorded four saves to back up the team, which held the Cornhuskers to just seven shots overall in the match. It marked Rutgers' first victory over Nebraska since joining the league, breaking a streak of six straight draws to improve to an all-time record of 1-0-6 in the series with the Huskers.
 
ON THE ATTACK | A total of 16 different Scarlet Knights have contributed to scoring this year. RU has outscored opponents 32-7 on the year, including 12 different goal scorers, eight multi-goal contributors, and 31 team assists. Tagliaferri leads the squad with 19 points (7g, 5a) on the season, while Tiernan (3g, 5a) and Kroeger (5g, 1 a) follow with 11 points. Ali (3g, 4a) and Brocious (3g, 4a) round out the double-digit point contributors with 10 points each.
Rutgers ranks fourth in the nation in scoring offense with 3.56 goals per game across nine matches. The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten and are top 7 in the nation in total goals (7^th -32), total assists (6^th - 32), and total points (7^th - 96).

SHUTOUT SOCCER | The Scarlet Knights have registered five shutouts this season. Dating back to 2019, RU has held 37 straight opponents to single-digit shots on goal in each match.

BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Senior back Gabby Provenzano claimed her second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season. She played the full 90 minutes in RU's 1-0 win over Nebraska, aiding the backline in holding the Huskers to just four shots on goal.

Rutgers has claimed six conference weekly awards this season. The honors have included Co-Offensive honors for Frankie Tagliferri (8/31), Defensive accolades for Provenzano (9/7 & 9/28) and Becci Fluchel (9/21), and Freshman recognition for Riley Tiernan (8/31) and Kassidy Banks (9/21).
 
MAC HERMANN TROPHY | Seniors Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri were named to the 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. It marks the first time two Scarlet Knights have been added to the list in the same season.
  
IN THE RANKINGS | Rutgers is ranked in the Top 25 for the seventh straight week of the year, remaining at No. 9 in the lastest United Soccer Coaches Poll. RU is also ranked No. 19 by Top Drawer Soccer. The Scarlet Knights come in at No. 15 in the latest RPI rankings of the season.
 
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