Rutgers women's soccer advances to Big Ten Tournament semifinals with 1-0 win over Ohio State
After a close and intense matchup with one of its rivals, the Rutgers women’s soccer team defeated Ohio State 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament during Regional Weekend. The Scarlet Knights (8-2-3, 6-2-3), which are part of the Eastern region, scored the go-ahead goal at 79:37 off a Buckeyes (7-2-3, 6-1-3) player.
After an intense matchup last Thursday with Michigan State in the previous round, Rutgers looked to continue its positive momentum after a double-overtime victory. Ohio State entered the contest just having defeated Maryland 4-2 in round one. Both teams competed in Columbus, Ohio as the Buckeyes had home-field territory for the second straight time.
The Knights started the game strong with several offensive chances early, also with an intense defensive presence at the same time. To begin the Sunday matinee, freshman midfielder Julianne Leskauskas got the offensive chances going 27 seconds into the game with a shot. In the first 10 minutes, Rutgers had three total shots, one shot on goal and one corner.
The Knights would also go on to draw four first-half fouls against Ohio State. The Buckeyes, in the first half, had four total shots, as one single shot went on goal.
Junior goalkeeper Meagan McClelland would make one first-half save against Ohio State's Kayla Fischer, while Bailey Kolinski made two saves through 45 minutes.
The teams were deadlocked at zero apiece, as Rutgers found itself empty on the scoresheet in the first half for the fifth-straight game.
Though defense was the main narrative in the second half, the flood gates opened at 79:37, where a Buckeyes mistake would be a turning point for the Knights.
As freshman midfielder/forward Sam Kroeger sent a corner kick toward the goal, the ball took a bounce off of an Ohio State defender, a bounce that trickled past Kolinski in order to give Rutgers the go-ahead score. The Knights would score a go-ahead strike against the Buckeyes for the second time this season, as both teams faced off previously on March 7, with Rutgers winning that contest 2-1.
The Knights will move on to the semifinals beginning this Thursday, where they will face off against Wisconsin.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated the Rutgers women's soccer team would play against Penn State in the semifinals.
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