PISCATAWAY, N.J. (August 24, 2012) – Led by two goals from redshirt junior Jonelle Filigno (Mississauga, ON, Canada), No. 23 Rutgers women’s soccer (3-0) defeated Bucknell, 2-1, Friday night at Yurcak Field.

“At halftime, we asked ourselves, ‘How are we going to respond to being down a goal? What is our identity?’ The response was very good,” said head coach Glenn Crooks. “We have a lot of youth on this team and we are mixing it in with the veterans. It is still a work in progress, but this is another great team win.”

This marks the first time since 2008 that the Scarlet Knights have started the season 3-0.

Filigno scored twice in the second half, erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit facing the Scarlet Knights. The forward started the offensive outburst in the 54th minute, beating the Bison keeper Sandita McDermott to a 50/50 ball on the left sideline. From a difficult angle, Filigno buried a shot from 16 yards out into the top right of the net.

Filigno notched the eventual game winner six minutes later. Junior forward Maria Gerew (Toms River, N.J.) slid a pass through to Filigno from the top of the box. Filigno buried the shot into the bottom right of the net to give RU the 2-1 advantage. 

Bucknell (0-2) got on the scoreboard in the sixth minute on a counter attack. Breaking through in the midfield, Evelyn Nicinski played a ball through to Courtney Nelson. Nelson earned a one-on-one with goalkeeper Emmy Simpkins (Concord, N.C.), pushing it into the left of the net.  

Redshirt junior Jessica Janosz (Ringwood, N.J.) earned the win for RU – her third of the season. The Scarlet Knights continued to pressure throughout the second half, holding the Bison without a shot and peppering nine towards McDermott.  

Filigno had the best chance in the first half, ripping off a shot inside the six with seven minutes remaining, but McDermott was there for the save.

Rutgers wraps up its homestand Sunday, Aug. 26 vs. Siena. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on RVision, presented by AT&T. 

Game Notes

* This is the first time since 2008 that RU has started 3-0. The Scarlet Knights defeated George Washington, Lehigh and Bucknell in 2008, allowing just three goals while scoring nine.

* RU has outscored opponents 6-1 through three games this season.

* Since the start of the 2006 season, RU is 48-11-8 on Yurcak Field.

* Filigno now has 15 career goals and five this year. Through three games, the forward has come within one goal of her personal best for a season.  

* It marked Filigno’s eighth game winner. She moves into a tie with Shannon Nangle (1997-2000) for sixth all-time on the RU career list for game-winning goals.

* For the third-straight game, Emmy Simpkins earned the start in net for RU, while Jessica Janosz got the win. Janosz is now 4-1-1 for her career.

* This marked the second assist for Maria Gerew this season. The junior has four points for her career.