The No. 24 Georgetown women’s soccer team (3-0-4, Big East) was able to scrape together a win against the No. 9 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-2, Big Ten) on a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon at Shaw Field. A 36th minute goal by junior forward Sofie Fox after a corner kick was all the Hoyas needed to come out with the upset that will hopefully see them scale up the national rankings and provide momentum after three consecutive draws.
The game started with both teams trying to minimize mistakes on the defensive side of the ball. The first 20 minutes were a well-fought battle in the midfield with neither team having any real scoring chances. After both teams started to loosen up, the game became more lively and the Scarlet Knights had the first shot after senior forward Amirah Ali snuck past a couple of Georgetown defenders and found sophomore midfielder Sara Brocious, whose shot went just over the bar in the 20th minute. Only seven minutes later, Rutgers’ sophomore forward Sam Kroeger would also miss a one-on-one against junior goalkeeper Allie Augur as her shot was too wide.
Rutgers continued applying the pressure and making Georgetown’s back line work hard, efficiently attacking the space behind graduate center backs Sydney Cummings and Kelly Ann Livingstone and freshman Eliza Turner. Nevertheless, it would be the Hoyas who would hit first via a set piece. Graduate midfielder Daisy Cleverley took the corner kick that Livingstone headed across the goal from the back post, which Fox hammered home. This was Fox’s first goal of the season after missing several games. Despite the Hoya’s lead, Rutgers did not give up, with freshman forward Riley Tiernan missing another clear chance before the half ended. Although the Scarlet Knights were the better team in the first half, they saw themselves behind on the scoreboard at halftime, leaving fans with an exciting second half ahead.
The second half quickly became Allie Augur’s show. In the third minute, Ali enjoyed another one-on-one opportunity, which Augur saved ferociously. Less than ten minutes later, Kroeger faced Augur again after an incredible feed from Ali, but the Hoyas’ goalkeeper guessed the forward’s intentions and intercepted the ball as Kroeger tried to dribble past her. The Hoyas tried to calm the game down by keeping possession, but Rutgers continued to run their offense, as senior midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri would test Augur with two shots from range that were dealt with easily. In the 75th minute, Ali had another try at surpassing Augur, but the goalkeeper completed her eighth save of the game.
The Hoyas would then have their second clear chance of the game after Livingstone got on the end of another corner kick taken by senior forward Boo Jackson that forced the Rutgers defense to clear the ball off the line. The time would trickle away from then on, with the Hoyas maintaining possession to run out the clock, giving the Scarlet Knights no opportunity to tie the game. Overall, an incredible defensive effort and an outstanding performance in goal by Allie Augur gave the Hoyas their best win of the season thus far by capitalizing on their scoring chances and dealing with Rutgers’ offensive power.
The Georgetown Hoyas women’s soccer team will return to action next Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT against William & Mary (2-4, CAA) at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, VA, where they will try to maintain their unbeaten record. Follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter for more updates and coverage of all fall sports at Georgetown.
