No. 16 Rutgers women’s soccer opened Big Ten play with a statement victory over defending champion and preseason favorite No. 8 Penn State (6-2-0, 0-1-0) on Sunday afternoon at Yurcak Field. After a scoreless first half, the Scarlet Knights defeated the Nittany Lions by the final score of 2-1. It was the third consecutive win for RU over PSU over the course of the past three seasons.
It was a up tempo, back and forth affair for most of the first half as both teams put pressure on the other team’s defense. Rutgers held a 5-2 edge in shots in the opening frame, including a tremendous shot from Riley Tiernan that went off the top left post, just missing a goal.