No. 16 Field Hockey Heads to ACC/Big Ten Challenge

PISCATAWAY, N.J.- No. 16 Rutgers discipline hockey is off to a powerful begin to the 2025 marketing campaign, opening the yr with a 2-0 file. The Scarlet Knights are hitting the street this weekend to play within the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. RU travels to Columbus, Ohio to face a pair of ACC groups in No. 11 Syracuse (Friday, 1 pm) and No. 3 Virginia (Sunday, 11 a.m.). Both video games shall be stay streamed on B1G+ from the campus of Ohio State University.
 
 

Friday vs. Syracuse (1 p.m.): Live Stream | Live Stats

Sunday vs. Virginia (11 a.m.): Live Stream | Live Stats

 

 
The Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 16 to start out the yr. Since the Scarlet Knights first earned a rating below Meredith Civico in 2017, the Scarlet Knights have earned a rating at one level every season, together with each preseason ballot since 2018.
 
To open the yr, RU has gained the primary two video games, downing Wagner, 5-1 within the season opener after which incomes a 2-0 street win at Vermont. The Scarlet Knights bought seven objectives on the weekend from seven totally different gamers. Against Wagner, Maddie Kidd, Olivia Fraticelli, Lyla Rehill, Maddie Olshemski and Olivia de Zwaan all scored their first aim as Scarlet Knights, with final 4 talked about above scoring their first collegiate aim. In Burlington, two of the staff’s high three main aim scorers from final season, Puck Winter and Sophie Kuiper, tallied within the victory.
 
Goalkeeper Emily Nicholls was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Playing within the first two video games of her profession, the redshirt freshman performed the primary three quarters towards Wagner within the residence opener, making three saves and never permitting a aim, departing the competition with RU forward 4-0 on the time. Then on Sunday, she made her first collegiate street begin with a powerful efficiency, blanking Vermont, the reigning America East champions and 2024 NCAA Tournament members. The Haddon Heights, N.J. native made eight saves to carry the Catamounts off the scoreboard.
 
Nicholls grew to become the primary goalkeeper throughout Meredith Civico‘s 14 season tenure as RU head coach to not enable a aim throughout their first two collegiate begins. Her eight saves at Vermont was the second most saves by any RU freshman goalkeeper since 2013, with 32 video games began by freshmen goalkeepers in that span, and most by a freshman goalkeeper since Gianna Glatz had 9 saves at Michigan in October of 2017.
 
 

 
With a Win Friday

• First ranked win of the season
• 18^th win over a top-12 staff since 2021
• First win over Syracuse since 2021
• First win over an ACC faculty for the reason that Syracuse win in 2021 and 15^th lifetime win towards the ACC

With a Win Sunday

• First ever win over Virginia
• Second straight season with a top-3 win
• Highest ever ranked win coming away from residence
• Highest ranked non-conference win
• 4^th top-3 win since 2021
• 8^th top-5 win since 2021
• 21^st top-10 win since 2018

 
 

Competition kicks into excessive gear beginning this week, as RU will play 4 straight groups ranked among the many top-12 groups within the nation. Next weekend, RU travels to No. 11 UConn on Friday after which hosts No. 10 Princeton on Sunday.
 

• This is the primary time since becoming a member of the Big Ten that RU has had 4 straight video games towards ranked non-conference opponents
• Rutgers has had a stretch of at the least 4 straight video games towards ranked groups each season since Spring 2021 (covid-adjusted 2020 season)
• The final time that RU performed at the least 4 video games in a row towards groups ranked No. 11 or higher was Spring 2021 – RU performed six straight video games vs. No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Penn State and No. 2 Northwestern – and went 4-2 in that stretch

 

 
“The team is playing some excellent hockey, especially this early in the season. The connections are improving with each training and match. This coming weekend will be a great test for the squad.”
 

 
Syracuse is a typical opponent for RU, together with a frequent opponent in preseason scrimmages. The Scarlet Knights have performed Syracuse 28 occasions, together with 24 occasions up to now 31 years. RU performed Syracuse each season as BIG EAST foes from 1994 to 2012, then thrice since. RU final met Syracuse in 2022, a 4-3 street loss, and final defeated them in 2021, a 3-2 double time beyond regulation residence win.
 
Syracuse opened the season with a 2-0 mark final weekend, defeating Lock Haven, 15-0, and Fairfield, 5-2.
 
Bo van Kempen, an All-American and First Team All-ACC choice final season, had 15 objectives and eight defensive saves final yr. Last weekend, she had 9 objectives to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors, together with a program file six tallies within the opener.
 
Cuse has a former Scarlet Knight on the roster in Liz Stange. Stange performed only one season of collegiate discipline hockey, coming 4 years in the past within the Covid-adjusted Spring season of 2021. Stange performed in 14 video games for RU, making 11 begins, and scoring two objectives, each coming in back-to-back video games towards Michigan State.
 
Last season, the Orange went 13-7 total and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Virginia and Rutgers have simply met 4 occasions lifetime: 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016, all wins for the Cavaliers. All 4 video games have been one rating video games and two of the previous three video games went into time beyond regulation. The Cavs have been ranked within the top-15 nationally in all 4 video games, together with thrice within the top-10.
 
Lauren Sloan was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week. Junior Mia Abello and graduate scholar Suze Leemans have been named Preseason All-ACC.

Last season, UVA went 14-5 total and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Michigan within the First Round. The Cavs have been ranked within the top-five all final common season.

 

 
Puck Winter is on the top-10 all time in NCAA historical past in defensive saves. The reigning two-time NCAA stat chief within the statistic, Winter is tied for 9^th in NCAA historical past with 25
profession defensive saves.
 
With another defensive save, Winter grow to be the outright Big Ten chief in profession defensive saves and would have the second most defensive save of any D-I NCAA participant since 2001 (24 seasons).

1. Michelle Cargen, Holy Cross (1987-90): 58
2. Susan Crafts, Virginia (1982-85): 38
3. Amy Gielle, William & Mary (1993-96): 34
4. Beth Senic, Ohio State (1985-88): 31
5. Angie King, Quinnipiac (2013-16): 31
6. Chantal Lacroix, Holy Cross (1990-93): 30
7. Wendy Barker, Holy Cross (1985-88): 29
8. Monica McCorry, Bucknell (1998-01): 29

T-9. Puck Winter, Rutgers: 25
T-9. Andrea Wiggins (1988-91): 25
T-9. Jenn Sciulli, Ohio State (2008-11): 25
T-9. Emily Trudeau, Pacific (2009-12): 25
 
 

Rutgers discipline hockey alumn Katie Larmour was just lately honored together with her first ever choice to the senior nationwide staff for her nation. Larmour earned six caps with Team Ireland this summer time, enjoying towards Team USA in an exhibition match in Charlotte, then competing for Team Ireland in early August within the EuroHockey Championships.
 
Alumn Iris Langejans additionally just lately begun knowledgeable profession again residence within the Netherlands, enjoying with HC Rotterdam Dames 1 on the highest stage of Dutch skilled discipline hockey.
 

Since her first day as head coach for Meredith Civico, the inspiration of Rutgers Field Hockey has been the tradition, about deliberately making a household environment that enables student-athletes to thrive as college students, as athletes and as folks. By attracting and recruiting the easiest gamers and workers over her fourteen years as head coach, and giving them an setting through which they flourish, Meredith Civico has constructed this system into one of many high within the Big Ten – and the nation.  The core tenant for this system has been the institution of a powerful, constructive tradition the place development is predicted, variations are celebrated and household is all the pieces. The feeling of togetherness within the locker room and when competing is what makes this staff particular and distinctive.

 
“Culture is something you have to work at every single day; it doesn’t just happen,” Civico defined. “We have this acronym: RUTGERS that stands for our core values: Relentless, United, Tenacious, Gritty, Excellence, Respect, Strength. These aren’t just words on a wall – they’re how we live. We’re not just coaching a sport; we’re coaching people. Sports are played by people, and people are the most important.”