Box Score MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – No. 9 Rutgers women's soccer (8-2-0, 3-0-0 Big Ten) secured its fourth straight win with a 2-1 victory at Minnesota (5-3-3-, 1-3-0 Big Ten) Thursday night. The Scarlet Knights earned three more points with its third consecutive conference win of the year.
"With today being our first Big Ten game on the road, I thought we did a good job digging deep for a great team win. We worked hard to get up a goal early in the first half, now we need to focus on keeping that momentum for our next game," said senior captain Amirah Ali.
"This is a huge win tonight because every Big Ten win is a big one. There is no easy win in this conference and if we want to be a champion we have to play and fight like one every single game, and ultimately every single day. I am so proud of this team tonight and the grit and heart we showed together," said senior midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri.
Tagliaferri, playing in her 100th career game, recorded her eighth goal of the year. She is the NCAA DI active career leader with 100 games played, scoring her 100th career point in tonight's match as well.
"I didn't know it was my 100th point until Trish [DiPaolo] told me after the game. I didn't even know I was close. My main focus is this team. Every accomplishment, goal, shutout, and victory is a team one and I'm so happy to be here with this family. I'm so grateful to have them on my side on and off the field. I can't thank them enough for taking me in the way they have and believing in me," said Tagliaferri.
Ali added an assist, totaling 11 points on the season. Ali moved into eighth on the Rutgers career charts, passing former Scarlet Knight Carli Lloyd, with a total of 18 career assists.
Junior back
Allison Lynch recorded her second goal of the year, while sophomore
Sam Kroeger added her second assist of the season. Senior goalkeeper
Meagan McClelland recorded a season-high five saves, including two in the final minutes of the match to secure the win.
Tagliaferri put Rutgers on the board early in the ninth minute. Ali battled a defender to set up Tagliaferri, who scored to the near post for a 1-0 Rutgers lead.
In the 30th minute, Minnesota would register the equalizer to set the score at 1-1. McClelland recorded her second save of the first half in the 35th minute to keep the board balanced entering halftime
Following the break, Lynch quickly returned the lead to Rutgers in the 50th minute. Kroger sent in a beautiful pass that Lynch headed in for the 2-1 advantage.
McClelland and the team held off a few late attempts from the Golden Gophers to secure the win, limiting the opposition to just six shots on goal overall. Dating back to 2019, Rutgers has held 38 straight opponents to single-digit shots on goal.
"It was such a great team win that took all 28 of us! We always emphasize that great teams win on the road and we all came together and held strong. We're definitely looking to carry this energy into our next match and get another road win," said Lynch.
Up next, Rutgers remains on the road for a trip to Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network.
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