PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 5 Rutgers women's soccer travels west for the 2021 NCAA College Cup, matching up with No. 1 Florida State on Friday, Dec. 3 in Santa Clara, Calif. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPNU from Stevens Stadium.

"It's hard to find words to express what it feels like to be going to the Final Four. This team has worked so incredibly hard and have always left everything out there for each other. To know we're adding to the great culture of all the amazing teams that paved the way is just an unreal feeling," said junior back Allison Lynch.

"From the beginning of the season we clicked. We were playing really well in the preseason games and then nonconference. Then Big Ten play going undefeated, it gave us confidence We're all very close, we're a family. It's a special team to be part of," said sophomore back Emma Misal.

"Since preseason, we've been saying to each other, we're ring chasing and we've been creating goals throughout the season. It started since the beginning. It started with non-conference goals, conference goals and postseason goals. We accomplished a lot of those goals. And there are some that we came a little short from, but I think those were all learning moments that have prepared us for this moment this weekend," said senior forward Frankie Tagliaferri.

"Being home has been a big part of what we've done this season. Having everyone in the stands, hearing them cheer us on and encouraging us during the game - it's like having a 12th man out there. It's a really cool experience having so many people come out and to support us. I've never experienced anything like this, it's amazing to be part of it," said sophomore forward Allison Lowrey.

"Being able to represent New Jersey in the Final Four is an awesome feeling and a great opportunity for our team. We always talk about Jersey pride, Jersey grit. A lot of people look at it as they're all local, but we think of it as we're all home. We're home here with our family. Even though most of our team is from Jersey, our out-of-staters come in and they bring their adversity through their other states to us. They add to the program and then we show him what jersey is like and they make it even better. We have the best fan base in the country and we can't wait to go out to California representing the state, bringing all that pride and grit with us," said senior captain Meagan McClelland. 

"The 2015 team left an amazing foundation and one that every team I've been a part of here at Rutgers has wanted to chase and reach. To be able to now get the opportunity to do what they've done and to do what we've heard about, it's an amazing experience. It's incredible. They've set the bar so high, and that's what we say every year is to raise the standard and make it a new one. So that's our hopes going into Cali," said senior captain Gabby Provenzano.

 

THIS WEEK'S QUICK KICKS

WATCH AND FOLLOW | Friday's match will be televised live on ESPNU and the ESPN app. WRSU will broadcast live from California online and on 88.7 FM. Live stats of the match will be available at NCAA.com.

TICKETS | Tickets for the NCAA College Cup can be purchased at NCAA.com.

RU'S LAST TIME OUT | In Friday's Elite Eight match at home, No. 1 seed Rutgers (19-3-2, 10-0 Big Ten) outlasted No. 7 Arkansas in a 2-2, double overtime draw, advancing on penalty kicks, 5-4. It marked the second consecutive match to go to a PK shootout for the Scarlet Knights.

Freshman Riley Tiernan led the way with a goal and an assist for RU in the quarterfinal match. Senior Amirah Ali recorded a goal as well, while classmate Frankie Tagliaferri and sophomores Becci Fluchel and Sara Brocious added an assist each. In net, senior Meagan McClelland made seven saves in the draw.
Coming off a Third Round match where McClelland saved three straight PKs, the senior goalkeeper carried that momentum, saving the Razorback's first attempt. Fluchel, Ali, McClelland, and Tiernan each made their attempts to advance RU to the College Cup for the second time in program history and first since 2015.
 
NO. 1 SEED | Rutgers is tabbed a No. 1 seed for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The seed marks the highest selection in program history, having been a No. 2 seed in its historic 2015 College Cup run. The Scarlet Knights have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight seasons, 12th time in the last 14 years and 16th time overall.

BIG TEN HONORS | Following the program's first Big Ten title, Frankie Tagliaferri was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, Gabby Provenzano the Big Ten Defender of the Year and Riley Tiernan the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The three player of the year awards marks the most ever in a single year for the Scarlet Knights and the first multiple top awards in single year since two in 2015.
 
Amirah Ali (First Team), Riley Tiernan (First Team), Frankie Tagliaferri (First Team), Gabby Provenzano (First Team), Becci Fluchel (Second Team), and Meagan McClelland (Third Team) all earned All-Big Ten honors. Riley Tiernan, Kylie Daigle and Kassidy Banks were selected to the All-Freshman Team, while Shea Holland was tabbed the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient for Rutgers.
 
Head Coach Mike O'Neill earned Coach of the Year accolades. In his eighth season at the helm, O'Neill guided the program in setting a plethora of records, picking up his 100^th career victory along the way.  A full release on the awards can be found here. 

ON THE ATTACK | A total of 18 different Scarlet Knights have contributed to scoring this year. RU has outscored opponents 64-16 on the year, including 13 different goal scorers, 11 multi-goal contributors, and 62 team assists. 

Frankie Tagliaferri leads the squad with 35 points (13g, 9a) on the season. Amirah Ali follows with 30 points (12g, 6a) of her own and Riley Tiernan owns 29 points (8g, 13a). Allison Lowrey (6g, 4a) has notched 16 points, while Sam Kroeger (5g, 4a) and Sara Brocious (4g, 6a) have 14 points, and Kylie Daigle has 11 points (3g, 5a) and Becci Fluchel has 10 points (4g, 2a) to round out the double-digit point contributors.

Rutgers ranks 10th in the nation in scoring offense with 2.67 goals per game across 24 matches. The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten and are top six in the nation in total goals (4^th -64), total assists (6th - 62), and total points (6^th - 190). Tiernan ranks ninth in the NCAA with 13 assists, while Tagliaferri ranks 15th with 35 total points.

SHUTOUT SOCCER | The Scarlet Knights have registered 13 shutouts this season, including seven against Big Ten opponents. Rutgers has held all 24 opponents to nine or less shots on goal this season, including 10 to three or less SOG. The Scarlet Knights kept 14 to seven or less shots in the match overall. Dating back to 2019, RU has held 52 straight opponents to single-digit shots on goal in each match.

BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Rutgers claimed 13 conference weekly awards this regular season, the most in a single season for the program. The honors have included Offensive honors for Frankie Tagliferri (8/31) and Amirah Ali (10/26), Defensive accolades for Gabby Provenzano (9/7 & 9/28), Becci Fluchel (9/21 & 10/12) and Allison Lynch (10/5 & 10/26), Goalkeeper honors for Meagan McClelland (10/26) and Freshman recognition for Riley Tiernan (8/31, 10/12 & 10/19) and Kassidy Banks (9/21).
 
MAC HERMANN TROPHY | Seniors Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri are named to the 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The trophy is awarded to the National Player of the Year. It marks the first time two Scarlet Knights have been added to the list in the same season.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD | Seniors Gabby Provenzano and Frankie Tagliafferi are named 2021 Senior CLASS Award candidates.  The award recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. It marks the second straight year RU has had a candidate for the Award, as classmate Amirah Ali was named a finalist and First Team selection in 2020-21.

Tagliaferri was tabbed one of 10 finalist for the award. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup® championships in December.
  
IN THE RANKINGS | Rutgers entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 5th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll released on Nov. 9, as well as ranking No. 3 in the latest RPI rankings. RU is also tabbed No. 2 by Top Drawer Soccer.
 
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