PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 4 Rutgers women's soccer (8-0-0) concludes a five-match homestand and begins its Big Ten title defense at Yurcak Field on Sun., Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. against No. 21 Ohio State (5-1-1). 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).

The Scarlet Knights matched the program's best start to a season (2015) and will open Big Ten play after going 10-0 in the conference in 2021 en route to the school's first Big Ten championship in any sport.

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PREVIOUSLY ON...
The Scarlet Knights wrapped up non-conference play with a perfect 8-0-0 record by coming from behind to beat LSU, 3-2, at Yurcak Field last Sunday. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, Rutgers received three unanswered goals in the second half off the feet of Sam Kroeger and Kylie Daigle. Kroeger cut the lead in half in the 50th, Daigle equalized in the 74th, then Kroeger got her second brace in three matches in the 85th - the game-winner thanks to Rutgers' defense not allowing a single LSU shot on targer over the final 45 minutes.

"We came out a little slow, and we knew we would need to step it up in the second half," said sophomore forward Riley Tiernan, who assisted both Kroeger goals. "At halftime, we told each other to relax and play our game. We were not going to let someone come in our house and take our win from us. We set goals for out-of-conference and one was to go undefeated. That second half was the only thing separating us from our goal, so we found a way to get it done."

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SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State has risen to No. 21 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll after a 5-1-1 start to the season. Ohio State posted five wins against unranked opponents, while losing 2-0 to No. 9 BYU on Aug. 26 and earning a scoreless draw against No. 18 Texas A&M on Sept. 4. The Buckeyes come into Piscataway winners of two straight over Brown (3-2) and Kent State (2-1).

The Buckeyes are a perfect 4-0-0 on the road this season. This is the first time in program history that the team has won its first four road matches of the year. Junior midfielder Peyton McNamara has scored four goals in the last four games, including both goals in the win over Kent State last Sunday. She is tied with Emma Sears for the team lead with four on the season. Sears has three goals and two assists in the last four matches. 

Ohio State has yet to beat Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series 9-0-2. That includes a 7-0-2 mark since Rutgers joined the league in 2014.

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HOME SWEET HOME: Rutgers women's soccer is 210-68-29 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.

How did we get out to such a great start?

This. Right. Here. 👇#WeNeverStop /// #RutgersVsEverybody pic.twitter.com/LmYNONf9d4

— RUTGERS WOMEN'S SOCCER (@RUWSoccer) September 4, 2022

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RUTGERS RANKED: Rutgers is the only team in the country to begin the season 8-0-0. RU has been ranked No. 4 in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll, up two spots this week. 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.

• Through matches on Sept. 15, Rutgers is among the nation's leaders in goals (4th, 27), assists (4th, 26), and points (6th, 80). The 3.4 goals per match comes in at sixth in the nation.
• Sam Kroeger owns three game-winning goals to rank fifth in the NCAA. Her six goals are 16th in the nation.
• Riley Tiernan has six assists, ranking ninth in the NCAA.
• 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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FAMILY STYLE: The Scarlet Knights' early offense has been powered by a selfless style of passing and an unpredictable source of origin through five matches. Twenty-one of their 27 goals have been assisted, and the total assists (26) are keeping up with the totals goals (27) thanks to one-time passing crediting double assists.

Fourteen different Scarlet Knights have registered a point thus far in 2022, including 11 different goal scorers. Nine goals spanning wins over Buffalo and Temple were all scored by different players, including all seven against Temple on Sept. 1.

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NATION ON NOTICE: Sam Kroeger and Becci Fluchel both found themselves on National Teams of the Week over the last two grading periods. Kroeger was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and on College Soccer News' National Team of the Week after a three-goal week in wins over Temple and Princeton. This week, Fluchel was honored on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for her significant contributions on defense, while also passing out an important assist in the 2-1 comeback win against La Salle on Sept. 8.

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THE CLEANEST SHEET: With three shutouts in the first seven matches, graduate student goalkeeper Meagan McClelland opens the 2022 season as the NCAA Division I career leader in shutouts with 38.

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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THE REIGNING CHAMPS: The 10-0 Big Ten record in 2021 marked the first undefeated conference season in Rutgers women's soccer history, becoming the first Big Ten team to accomplish the feat since 2005. RU outscored the conference competition 23-6 on its way to the school's first Big Ten title. The 10-0 run was part of a program-record 13-match winning streak that carried into the Big Ten Tournament.

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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 and Mallory McGuire scored their first collegiate goals against Temple on Sept. 1, while Hannah Blodget picked up her first point with an assist in the victory. Hailey Gutowski leads the newcomers in scoring with five points on two goals and an assist, while Post has totaled four points on a goal and two helpers.


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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