EVANSTON, Ill. – Rutgers women's soccer (10-1-1, 2-1-1) earned a Big Ten point on the road at No. 8 Northwestern (9-1-2, 3-0-1) after a 1-1 draw on Thursday evening at Martin Stadium. Playing in the program's first Top 10 matchup in the regular season since 2009,
Allison Lowrey scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season to equalize the contest in the 48th minute.
The Wildcats, coming into the contest with their highest national ranking in program history, scored early for the 1-0 lead in the ninth minute on their first shot on goal. That's all they would muster against Rutgers goalkeeper
Meagan McClelland, who made five saves, including three highlight-reel stops in the second half to keep Rutgers in the game.
Just 2:44 out of the halftime break, sophomore back
Emily Mason played a smart long ball to junior midfielder
Sara Brocious, who collected and began an attack deep in Wildcat territory. Brocious led Lowrey for the breakaway chance and Lowrey pushed the shot to the right of the keeper to level the contest at 1-1. Mason and Brocious both picked up assists on the play.
Northwestern had its chances to grab its three points at home, but McClelland had other plans. The Rutgers keeper turned away a redirected header with a diving stop at the near post in the 54th minute. In the 65th, the Kearny, New Jersey native came up with back-to-back stops, including a gut-reaction, point-blank kick save at the goal line before gobbling up the rebound shot from 10 yards out.
After the two sides took just three shots overall apiece in the first half, a total of 18 were tried over the final 45 minutes with the Wildcats ahead 11-7 in attempts in the second half.
Lynch, Brocious,
Emily Mason,
Becci Fluchel, and
Riley Tiernan put in 90-minute shifts in the draw on the road.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers played its first Top 10 matchup in the regular season since Oct. 9, 2009.
- The match was Rutgers' third against a ranked opponent over the last four matches.
- The tie marks Rutgers first draw under the NCAA's new overtime rules. It was the first draw for Rutgers in a regular season match since a 1-1 tie with Michigan on April 3, 2021 two seasons ago (the "2020" spring season).
- Rutgers has held all 12 opponents to six shots on goal or less.
- Allison Lowrey leads the team with seven goals and scored career goal No. 15. Seven goals in a season is a career-high for Lowrey.
- Sara Brocious passed out career helper No. 15.
- Rutgers is now 4-2-2 all-time against Northwestern, and 0-1-2 in Evanston. This was the first time in the series the match did not in a shutout for one or both teams.
UP NEXT: The Scarlet Knights' Midwest road trip continues on Sun., Oct. 2 at 12 p.m. ET at Purdue, airing live on Big Ten Network.
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