Starting XI: No. 9 Women's Soccer vs. Temple

Aug 31 | Women's Soccer

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The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights host the Owls at Yurcak Field on Thurs., Sept. 1

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 9 Rutgers women's soccer (4-0-0) continues a five-match homestand at Yurcak Field on Thu., Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. against Temple (0-1-2). Attendance is free and fans are required to register for free parking in the Blue Lot outside Yurcak Field (one-time registration for the 2022 season).

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PREVIOUSLY ON...
Behind second-half goals from Allison Lowrey and Riley Tiernan, Rutgers remained undefeated (4-0-0) with a 2-1 win over Buffalo (2-1-0) on Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field. With the victory, the Scarlet Knights moved to 19-0-1 in their last 20 home openers "On the Banks".

Down 1-0 at halftime thanks to a goal from UB's Jasmine Guerber, Tiernan drilled the equalizer less than a minute out of the locker room. Kylie Daigle forced a Bison turnover in the box and found a cutting Tiernan, who made several moves before burying her first of the season in the 46th minute for the 1-1 tie. Lowrey followed nine minutes later for the game-winning strike. The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week drilled her first attempt into the hands of Buffalo goalkeeper Emily Kelly and then connected off the ricochet to give Rutgers a 2-1 lead.

There's no place like home 👠#WeNeverStop /// #ForeverRutgers pic.twitter.com/y147eMRm12
— RUTGERS WOMEN'S SOCCER (@RUWSoccer) August 28, 2022

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SCOUTING THE OWLS: Temple is seeking its first win of 2022 after opening with draws against Maryland and Penn, and a 2-0 loss to Binghamton. Goalkeeper Kyla Burns had a standout performance in the shutout tie against Penn on Friday, grabbing five saves to keep the game scoreless. Burns was awarded AAC Weekly Honor Roll recognition, the first conference award of her career, for her efforts. Emily Kavanaugh notched the lone goal of 2022 thus far, a returns as the team's leading scorer after netting seven goals and adding an assist in 2021. Her 15-point performance proved to be enough to earn First Team All-Conference honors at the conclusion of the season and Preseason All-Conference honors this year.

Rutgers holds a 3-1-2 advantage over Temple in the all-time series dating back to 1991, a 7-0 home win for the Scarlet Knights. The two sides, however, have not met since 2013, when Rutgers claimed a 2-0 victory at Yurcak Field during RU's only season in the American Athletic Conference.

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HOME SWEET HOME: Rutgers women's soccer is 206-68-29 all-time at Yurcak Field. The Scarlet Knights matched the 2015 program record last season with 13 home wins, including two in the Big Ten Tournament and four in the NCAA Tournament on the way to the NCAA Women's College Cup. The RU program has had a winning record at home in each season since 1998.

Before each and every home contest, a raucous Rutgers tailgate takes place in the parking lot three hours before kickoff. Then 90 minutes before kickoff, fans are encouraged to welcome the Scarlet Knights to Yurcak Field at the Scarlet Walk located outside the ticket booth.

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ROAD WARRIORS: The two victories at the Lobo Invitational over New Mexico and UNLV, and the win at Providence marked the first time in program history that Rutgers played three matches away from home to start a season and won them all. The Aug. 25 road date at Providence was the first time RU played three matches away from home to start a season since 2001.

"To reach our goals, we have to win at home and we have to win on the road," said head coach Mike O'Neill. "We want to challenge our comfort zone early, and we like the added benefit of bonding as a team and building team chemistry with some early time on the road together."

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RUTGERS RANKED: RU has been ranked No. 9 in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll. The Scarlet Knights began at No. 6 in the preseason poll, marking 11 of the last 13 seasons Rutgers received votes in the national preseason vote, before rising to No. 3 in Week 1 after a 2-0-0 start - matching the highest rank in program history. Rutgers is one of 11 teams in the country to begin 4-0-0.

Through matches on Aug. 30, Rutgers leads the Big Ten in goals (11), assists (11), and points (33).
Sophomore forward Riley Tiernan comes in at 14th in the nation with her three assists.
Junior forward Allison Lowrey's eight points are ranked 23rd in the country and tops in the Big Ten. She is ranked 11th in the country with 2.7 points per match, and third in the NCAA with her two game-winning goals.
The Big Ten coaches voted Rutgers to repeat as conference champions, coming in a first-place tie with Penn State in the annual preseason poll. The poll marks the first time in Rutgers Athletics history a Scarlet Knight team has been picked No. 1, and it also marks the first time in conference history the women's soccer preseason poll resulted in a tie for the top spot.

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THE CLEANEST SHEET: With two shutouts in the first three matches, graduate student goalkeeper Meagan McClelland opens the 2022 season as the NCAA Division I career leader in shutouts with 37. The Scarlet Knights' two shutouts rank sixth in the country in the early going.

The Kearny keeper recorded 13 shutouts and 83 saves on the year in 2021, including five clean sheets against league opponents in the run to the conference title. She maintained a 0.67 GAA in net, helping RU extend its streak to eight straight seasons registering a GAA of 0.77 or less.

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FAMILY STYLE: The Scarlet Knights' early offense has been powered by a selfless style of passing and an unpredictable source of origin through three matches. Eight of their 11 goals have been assisted, and the total assists (11) match the totals goals (11) thanks to one-time passing crediting double assists.

Nine different Scarlet Knights have registered a point thus far in 2022, including eight different goal scorers. Rutgers had a string of eight goals scored by different players stretching over victories against UNLV, Providence, and Buffalo.

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A GOAL A GAME: Junior forward Allison Lowrey won the first Big Ten Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week of the season after a six-point performance on two goals and two assists during the 2-0 opening week. It is Lowrey's first weekly honor from the Big Ten, and the 12th offensive weekly award from the conference since joining the league in 2014. Lowrey has scored in all three matches she has appeared to start 2022.

She scored the game-winner in the 1-0 victory at Mountain West favorites New Mexico to open the season on Thursday. She then assisted the first two goals against UNLV to give Rutgers a 2-0 lead in the opening 19 minutes before scoring another in the 5-1 victory on Sunday. Lowrey's four points against UNLV set a new career high for the junior striker, and she did it in just 42 minutes of action. The UNLV contest was also her second career match with multiple assists. Her 3.0 points per match ranks 14th across the nation, while her two goals come in at 15th in the nation.

The Bridgewater, N.J. native then netted the game-winner in the come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over Buffalo on Sunday by collecting her own rebounded shot and placing it in the upper-right 90's in the 55th minute.

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GUESS WHO'S BACK?: Rutgers returns nine starters (15 or more starts) and 17 letterwinners from the 2021 College Cup squad.

Returning "On the Banks" this fall are Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Region First Team performer Riley Tiernan (an NCAA Division I Preseason Player to Watch) and All-Region goalkeeper Meagan McClelland. Junior midfielder Becci Fluchel (All-Big Ten Second Team) also returns with All-Conference honors from last fall.

Graduate student back Adriana Kuryla celebrated her birthday in the season-opening win at New Mexico by playing all 90 minutes in the shut out after playing in just two matches last season due to injuries.

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NEW KIDS "ON THE BANKS": Coach Mike O'Neill signed five freshmen to the 2022 roster (Hannah Blodget, Olivia Bodmer, Mallory McGuire, Allie Post, and Naila Schoefberger) and welcomed five transfers to the mix (Niamh Cashin - Rider, Hailey Gutowski - Temple, Jessica Schildkraut - Columbia, Emily Smith - American, and Naya Vialva - La Salle).

Allie Post picked up her first collegiate point on an assist on the fifth goal in Rutgers' 5-1 win over UNLV on Aug. 21, which was scored by graduate transfer Hailey Gutowski. Post and Gutowski have appeared in all four matches to begin 2022.

Stay up to date on the latest news and schedule updates by following Rutgers women's soccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Scarlet Knights App for Apple or Android today.
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