Thursday: No. 4 UCLA 1, RUTGERS 0
The Scarlet Knights began their most brutal stretch of the season this past Friday in Westwood, falling to No. 4 UCLA, 1-0, in a game dominated by a potent Bruins squad with what seemed like endless depth.
UCLA ended Rutgers’ deep conference tournament run with a resounding 5-0 result in the Big Ten Championship match last November and hasn’t missed a step since.
The Bruins dominated play Thursday evening in perfect Southern California weather, outshooting the Knights 15-4. Rutgers was unable to muster one shot on goal, though their most dangerous attacker, Nata Ramirez, beat UCLA’s goalie to a loose ball in the box, outside the right post, but her shot curved just wide of the far left post in the 13th minute. The Knights would not sniff another scoring opportunity against the Bruins, but their defense held up in the first half, holding UCLA scoreless.
UCLA finally found the back of the net in the 54th minute on a perfectly executed set piece off a free kick and would cruise to victory, preventing Rutgers from generating any offensive attack.
Sunday: USC 2, Rutgers 1
Rutgers continued to struggle in the first half of Sunday’s match against USC. The Trojans took an early 1-0 lead in the 6th minute on a goal by Jaiden Anderson. In the 27th minute, Innis Derrien put USC up 2-nil, and with the way the Rutgers offense had struggled to possess the ball and control play, their prospects looked dim.
Rutgers head coach Mike O’Neill made ample substitutions during the second half, in an attempt to put a unit on the pitch that could solve USC’s defense, and was rewarded in the 76th minute when Allie Post sent a well-placed header off a perfect crosser from Oliva Russomanno to pull the Knights within one goal.
In the 84th minute, Nata Ramirez’s well-struck shot toward the empty left side of the goal looked destined to be the equalizer, but as luck would have it on this road trip, the ball struck the crossbar. The Knights continued to press late but were unable to find the equalizer.
Rutgers falls to 3-3-4 and a disappointing 1-3-1 in conference, while USC improved to 6-3-1 (3-2-0). The Knights are in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season, with four out of five conference games on the road and dropping both games on the West Coast. While not unexpected, it puts added pressure on the team to pick up points at home this weekend against No. 18 Penn State. Needless to say, at 3-3-4, Rugers’ streak of 13 consecutive NCAA appearances is in jeopardy, and the coaching staff will need to right the ship quickly if the Knights are to qualify for the Big Ten tournament, where they currently sit tied for 13th in an 18-team league.
Next Up:
It’s fair to say, a must-win, at home at Yurcak Field on Saturday, October 4th at 4:00 PM versus No. 18 Penn State.
