Rutgers women's soccer wins in overtime in first round of Big Ten Tournament
In a first-round matchup of the Big Ten Tournament that saw lots of physicality, the Rutgers women’s soccer team defeated Michigan State 1-0 in overtime in the Eastern region, thanks to senior forward/midfielder Amirah Ali’s game-winning goal at 105:42. The win pushed the Scarlet Knights (7-2-3, 6-2-3) ahead to round two.
Rutgers found itself struggling to defend inside its own zone in the opening minutes of the game, where the Spartans (1-10-1, 1-9-1) created the first offensive chance of the game 85 seconds into the contest. Michelle Herring of Michigan State got a shot on goal, with the Knights' junior goalkeeper Meagan McClelland blocking the opening chance.
After getting a grasp of the Spartan attack, Rutgers would end up dominating the rest of the first half of the play. The team ended the first half with five total shots, three shots on goal and three corners. The Knights were held scoreless after 45 minutes of play, as Lauren Kozal made three saves in the half within a timeline of approximately 4 minutes.
In the second half of regulation, both teams saw another flurry of opportunities, only for more spoiled chances to occur and a scoreless draw.
Rutgers would total another seven total shots, with Kozal making another four saves in net for Michigan State. McClelland would make her lonesome save in the half at 62:38, denying Herring again, saving the only chance in the half for the Spartans to score.
The second half also saw 15 total fouls between both teams, as each club had a player awarded a yellow card against them. Freshman midfielder Julianne Leskauskas was issued a yellow card at 81:35, and Michigan State's Athena Biondi received a yellow at the 67th minute.
After ninety minutes there was still no score on the scoresheet. The Knights and the Spartans had to venture into extra time, as Rutgers found itself in overtime for the third time in as many as four games.
The first period of the overtime saw three total fouls, with the Knights having two shot attempts that missed the net. Ali and freshman midfielder/defender Becci Fluchel had the opportunities approximately 5 minutes within each other, though neither opportunity went on goal.
In the second period of extra time, Ali sent Rutgers to the second round of the tournament with a game-winning goal at 105:42. Ali’s first goal of the tournament came off a header assisted by freshman forward Allison Lowrey.
The Knights will go on to face Ohio State in the Eastern region of the tournament this upcoming Sunday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus at a time that will be determined later.
For updates on the Rutgers women's soccer team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
