Rutgers women’s soccer (3-2-2) handed Providence (5-1-0) its first loss of the season on Thursday night at Yurcak Field in a clutch 1-0 victory. Giana Romano scored the game winning goal in the 81st minute off a set piece. The Friars were the last team in Division I soccer to have not allowed a goal before Romano scored.
It was a big win for the Scarlet Knights following Monday’s 2-0 loss at home to No. 14 Georgetown. The coaching staff changed things up as Rutgers played in a 4-4-2 formation. Whether it’s a long term change or not, the hard fought win can serve as a jumping off point for this team with Big Ten play approaching.
With ten minutes to play, Kylie Daigle sent the ball into the box off a free kick that was saved by Providence and went off the post. Leading scorer Allison Lowrey headed the rebound but it was blocked. In a frantic scrum along the goal line, Romano was able to get a foot on the ball and deliver what would result in the dramatic game winning goal. Both Lowrey and Daigle were credited with assists.
That’s all that the Rutgers defense and goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer needed. Despite Providence outshooting RU 14-12 and holding a 3-1 edge in corner kicks, Bodmer delivered her third clean sheet of the season. She made three saves on an emotional night where she went head to head against her older sister, Providence goalkeeper Emma Bodmer. While Emma was subbed out at halftime after making 2 saves as part of a rotation the Friars have run all season, Olivia made a huge save for Rutgers in the 67th minute to keep the game scoreless. It was a clear shot for Providence at point blank range, but Bodmer held her ground and came through in a big spot.
“It was a hard-earned win and one that we thought we earned through a great week of training and a positive mentality,” said head coach Mike O’Neill. “Olivia really got us going in the second half with a big save, and that gave us a push forward to earn that goal and come out with a win. We know we’re a good team and have played better than our record, so it’s great to get one tonight.”
Rutgers is now 18-2-1 all-time against its former Big East foe Providence and 9-0-1 at Yurcak against the Friars.
Another positive for Rutgers is that standout defender Emily Mason played all 90 minutes and is rounding into form after recovering from a torn ACL injury dating back to last season.
Rutgers next hosts UMass (3-1-2) on Senior Day this Sunday, September 10 at 1 p.m. at Yurcak Field. The last non-conference game on the schedule will stream live on B1G+. The Scarlet Knights begin Big Ten action at Indiana on Sunday, September 17.
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Henry Rutgers
September 8, 2023 at 10:33 am
I love it when I’m wrong. After criticizing the coaching staff for failing to alter the line up and configuration to optimize the skills and talents of the players putting Tiernan in the midfield and using her as both an attacking midfielder and playmaker/distributer disrupted Providence endlessly. The Providence coach was running along the sideline yelling to his midfielders to cover #73 the entire first half. The thing is, you can’t if she has space. She doesn’t stand around waiting for a pass, she moves to open space and goes to the pass. Moving Lowry outside was not as effective but as Kroeger continues to recover and build minutes, she’ll add the skill and speed needed.
It was good to see some of the walking wounded back in the lineup. Girman and Banks both went down hard at Princeton. They played and played well. While I didn’t check the minutes played it seemed like Daigle played more minutes and was extremely effective switching the field of play to keep Providence off balance.
Our goalkeeper was stellar. The game saving stop she made highlighted in the X (Twitter) link was, however, a play that should never have happened. That cross was the result of the outside defender getting beat and a cross that went right past another defender. Those two owe their keeper a dinner. Providence was a good team. They were fast and aggressive. They attacked the ball all night long and made possession difficult for RU. I think some of our fans are going to storm the field if RU doesn’t begin to do the same. Containing an opponent is a good tactic while waiting for backup so as to attack or at least cutting off the angle for passing lanes. Just running alongside and watching is not a good tactic. However, the liberal substitution deployed last night was a solution to keeping fresh legs on the field and building experience especially for the three freshman that continue to grow and contribute. Nice win.
Biochemist01
September 8, 2023 at 2:36 pm
They played better than against Princeton or Georgetown, but there were long stretches of not looking great. Possession was poor, a lot of poor passes, they played the first 20′ of the 2nd half in their end. A lot defensive mistakes deep, including the one that you mentioned where Bodmer stole a goal from Providence. Bodmer came up with another shutout and helped preserve the win, but she misplayed two balls in the 1st half that could have resulted in goals.
There was a ton of substitution. I think only Bodmer, Mason, and Lynch played the entire 1st half. Starting in the 4-4-2 instead of 4-3-3 was a good idea to shake things up. Please do not take Riley out of the game unless she is injured. She just plays a different level than everyone else and they need to do a better job of getting her the ball. 1 corner kick does not cut it.
Credit to the ladies for pressing late to generate scoring chances and an eventual win. Kroeger struck a great ball on the free kick from the top of the box and the Providence goalie made a great save. Daigle’s free kick was even better and led directly to Romano’s goal.
I thought that Providence played well and is clearly a quality side.
pj43
September 10, 2023 at 5:27 pm
Thanks, gentlemen, for your detailed comments on the game. I take it that, if the ladies get healthy and the coaching tweaks occur as you propose, we can look forward to more positive outcomes.