Rutgers women's soccer faces Clemson in round two of NCAA Tournament
The Rutgers women's soccer team has moved onto the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017 after defeating Southeastern Louisiana 1-0 in the opening round yesterday.
Senior forward/midfielder Amirah Ali scored the game-winning goal at 86:26 against the Lady Lions (8-3-4, 6-2-3), pushing the Scarlet Knights (9-3-3, 6-2-3) into their next contest with No. 14 Clemson.
Rutgers is looking to continue its offensive success. The last four games have been 1-goal affairs for the Knights, with three of them being 1-0 wins.
Against Southeastern Louisiana, Rutgers dominated ball possession by totaling 20 shots, 10 shots on goal and nine corners. The Knights' defense kept the Lady Lions at bay and limited them to two total shots on goal within the two periods of play.
The Tigers (12-4-0, 6-4-0), who represent the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), had their season start in the fall and carried into the spring. The ACC was one of the few Power Five conferences to have its women's soccer season take place in the usual fall season.
Clemson has allowed 12 goals since its Sept. 12, 2020, start. Half of its victories came against non-conference opponents, a majority of them from the Southeastern Conference.
"Every time everyone sees us step on the field, they see our heart," said junior defender Shea Holland. "We go back to the drawing board … we look to move forward."
Rutgers and the Tigers will play tomorrow at 7 p.m. The Knights will look to move onto the third round as Rutgers continues its ninth straight NCAA tournament campaign.
For updates on the Rutgers women's soccer team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
