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The No. 9 Rutgers women’s soccer team lost its second straight game on Sunday in a 1-0 road loss at No. 24 Georgetown (3-0-4). It was the second straight defeat for the program after winning its first four games of the season.
Sofie Fox scored in the 31st minute on a corner kick to put the Hoyas out in front in the first half. The Scarlet Knights had six shots on goal in the second half and didn’t allow any from Georgetown, but they were unable to break through. All-Americans Amirah Ali and Frankie Tagliaferri each had two shots on goal, as did Sam Kroeger. All three players have scored multiple goals this season, but were unable to connect on Sunday.
Rutgers held a 10-6 shot advantage in the game and 8-2 with shots on goal overall. Hoyas goalkeeper Allie Augur made eight saves to keep the Big East squad undefeated on the season.
“Today was a tough one,” said senior captain Shea Holland. “We created chances and had opportunities, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. However, we will learn from this game and continue to grow.”
It has been a challenging few days for Rutgers, who lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to in-state rival Princeton last Thursday after leading 3-1 in the second half. After opening the season by setting a program record in scoring five or more goals in four straight matches, followed by three more in the loss to the Tigers, RU was shutout in the loss to Georgetown.
The Scarlet Knights are now 4-2 on the season and will host Drexel (4-1-1) at Yurcak Field on Thursday, September 16 at 7 p.m. on Big Ten+. It’s the final non-conference game on the schedule before Rutgers hosts defending Big Ten champion Penn State on Sunday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m. in the conference opener for both teams. That game will air live on the Big Ten Network. The No. 14 Nittany Lions are 6-1-0 this season and defeated No. 3 Virginia last week.
For a team that has championship aspirations, this past week’s losses can be used as a positive and help them take the necessary step forward in order to achieve their goals this season. Rutgers has the talent and the depth to do just that and will look to get back on track this week against two formidable foes.