PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's soccer (11-5-5) fell by a 2-1 score to UConn (14-4-4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday evening at Yurcak Field.
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The Scarlet Knights came out with pressure and possession, trading shots with UConn early, but it was the Huskies leading 2-0 at half with markers in the 31st and 37th minute.
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Rutgers fought back in the second half, keeping the Huskies from scoring again over the final 45 minutes and holding the away side to one shot on goal over that span. The momentum shift took a toll in the 70th minute, when Rutgers cut the lead in half.
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Reilly McGlinn attacked the UConn box from the side and played a back pass to
Shaela Bradley, who dished one time into the Huskies' six.
Alyssa Martinez was waiting and roofed a close-range shot to cut the UConn lead to 2-1 with 20 minutes remaining.
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The Huskies, however, locked down after the goal and did not allow another shot attempt to advance to the second round of the national tournament.
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Rutgers outshot UConn, 11-9, overall and 7-5 in shots on target. UConn goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mahoney made six saves in the victory.
Playing in their final collegiate matches, senior backs
Kassidy Banks and
Emily Mason both played the full 90 minutes. The Rutgers women's soccer program also celebrated the final matches for four-year players
Gia Girman,
Kylie Daigle,
Riley Tiernan, and
Cameron Kennett, and celebrated the careers of transfers
Arden Lembryk and
Sydney Urban.
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Rutgers was playing in its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament and 19th overall.
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NOTES
- Rutgers moves to 15-14-9 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
- Rutgers is 10-3-4 all-time when hosting an NCAA Tournament match at Yurcak Field.
- Senior forward Riley Tiernan was not available for the match due to a two-match red card suspension from the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
- The Scarlet Knights are 7-17-4 all-time against UConn since 1984 while sharing the Big East Conference for more than two decades.
- The sides have met three times in the NCAA Tournament – previously a 1-0 win for UConn in the first round in 1984 and a 3-0 win for Rutgers in the third round in 2015 on the way to its first College Cup.
- UConn's win snapped a five-match winning streak for Rutgers in the series dating back to 2015 up to their last meeting in 2018 in Storrs. They last met in Piscataway in 2017, a 2-0 Rutgers win at Yurcak Field.
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