Rutgers women's soccer prepares for final game of regular season against Michigan
The Rutgers women’s soccer team is looking to end the regular season with their seventh total victory this year when it travels to Ann Arbor to play Michigan on Saturday.
The No. 24 Scarlet Knights (6-2-2, 6-2-2), who have dropped from No. 19, have been ranked in the top 25 for five straight weeks. The team was held scoreless in its last two games, one a 0-0 draw at Nebraska and another a 1-0 loss at Wisconsin.
Rutgers, which last scored a goal in its win against Minnesota more than a week ago thanks to freshman midfielder Julianne Leskauskas, has not tallied a score for more than 200 minutes, including the two most recent outcomes that began the final series of away games of the regular season. The last goal the Knights scored came off the foot of Leskauskas at 47:02 of the second half in the matchup against the Golden Gophers (5-3-2, 5-3-2).
Rutgers has been able to register 42 total shots during the last two games, with 17 of them going on goal. The Knights have also been dealt 24 fouls, 16 that came against the Cornhuskers (1-5-3, 1-5-3), and one yellow card that was issued to junior defender Shea Holland in the game against the Badgers (6-3-1, 6-3-1).
“We’re creating chances … if we weren’t creating chances, I would be concerned," head women’s soccer coach Mike O’Neill said on Rutgers' recent goal-scoring situation. "Now, we just need to be a bit more ruthless with our goal."
The Wolverines (5-3-2, 5-3-2) on the other hand, will be wrapping up their final home stretch of the regular season, coming off a 2-0 loss against Indiana. Michigan previously won its opening matchup of the home stretch against Illinois before falling to the Hoosiers (6-4-0, 6-4-0).
The Wolverines have been able to total 20 goals this season, compared to the 13 they have allowed. Michigan has 159 total shots on the season, the most recorded in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines have been able to total 27 combined shots in their last two home games, with 12 having gone on goal.
The Knights are looking for their first win since March 21 versus Minnesota, and their first road win since Feb. 28 at Purdue, the only road victory of the season for the program.
Rutgers looks to continue to create more offensive chances and break its scoreless streak this Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Wolverines.
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