No. 10 Rutgers women's soccer hosts Indiana in Sunday matinee
After a midwest road trip that saw the Rutgers women’s soccer team draw with Northwestern 1-1 and defeat Purdue 3-0, the No. 10 Scarlet Knights (11-1-1, 3-1-1) return home to Yurcak Field on Busch campus on Sunday to do battle with Indiana. Rutgers looks to build steam against a Hoosier (2-4-6, 0-4-1) team that is currently on a four game losing streak.
For the Knights, sophomore defensive back Emily Mason has been leading the charge as of late. She is coming off a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week performance, as well as a two goal performance in the win at West Lafayette, Indiana. Mason totaled two goals and one assist across the Midwest.
Along with Mason, junior midfielder Sam Kroeger and junior forward Allison Lowrey are starting to rejuvenate the offense. Both Lowrey and Kroeger are tied with a team leading seven goals this season, as each player found the back of the net on the team’s last road trip.
Lowrey scored the equalizer against the No. 6 Wildcats (10-1-2, 4-0-1), while Kroeger scored the game winner against the Boilermakers (3-8-1, 0-4-1).
Along with Lowrey and Kroeger, junior midfielder Sara Brocious has played a huge role. Brocious totaled an assist off Lowrey’s goal at Northwestern, and before the road trip, scored the game winning goal against Maryland to get Rutgers to its 10th win of the season.
Sophomore forward Kylie Daigle has continued to contribute to the winning effort, as the underclassman recorded two assists in the 3-0 win at Purdue.
Indiana enters this matchup with zero in-conference wins this season, as the Hoosiers are tied for last in the Big Ten standings.
After tying with Penn State on September 18, Indiana has lost four straight games to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Nebraska. Each game has been lost via shutout, as the Hoosiers have been outscored 11-0 in Big Ten play.
After the Knights' ninth straight win to begin the season against the Buckeyes (8-2-2, 3-1-1), Rutgers has been 2-1-1, starting with the loss at Penn State on Sept. 22. Currently, the Knights are tied with Ohio State and Nebraska for third in the Big Ten. The Badgers (10-1-2, 5-0-0) remain the only undefeated team in the conference with a 5-0-0 record in Big Ten play.
Rutgers looks to continue to get back into good form against Indiana on Sunday. After the Hoosiers, the Knights will host two more home games against the Golden Gophers (5-7-1, 1-4-0) and Wisconsin, before traveling to Ann Arbor to play Michigan.
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