Rutgers field hockey left Albany with a lopsided road win Saturday, rolling to a 7-2 victory at Alumni Turf and matching its season high for goals in the process.
The Scarlet Knights improved to 3-4 with the result, while Albany also fell to 3-4. Rutgers got scoring from all over the field, with Laura Loycke finishing with a hat trick, Olivia Fraticelli adding two goals, and Anna Cogdell and Emma Uprichard each scoring once.
It was Rutgers’ pressure that set the tone early. The Scarlet Knights outshot Albany 23-6 and forced the Great Danes into mistakes that turned into quick-strike chances. Emilly Nicholls made four saves in the win.
The opening goal came just five minutes in after Frederique Vernooij forced a turnover in Albany’s defensive end and sparked a 3-on-2 rush. Talia Schenck moved the ball to Laura Loycke, who blasted in the finish for a 1-0 lead.
Albany answered soon after on its first penalty corner of the game. Quinty Reumer lifted a shot from near the top of the circle to make it 1-1.
Rutgers reclaimed control before the first quarter ended. Olivia Fraticelli won possession after another Albany turnover, and the Scarlet Knights turned it into a 3-on-1 break.
The first shot was stopped, but Emma Uprichard stayed with the play and buried a long shot from the top of the arc to make it 2-1. Rutgers finished the opening quarter with seven shots and carried that lead into the second.
The Scarlet Knights extended the margin five minutes into the second quarter when Fraticelli finished in front off an assist from Olivia Stazi. Albany responded less than a minute later, again using a corner to trim the deficit to 3-2.
Rutgers answered in the final two minutes of the half. After a quick restart pushed the ball into the circle, Frederique Vernooij sent a shot from the top that Laura Loycke redirected in front of the cage for a 4-2 halftime lead.
The game opened up even more in the third quarter, and Rutgers delivered a three-goal burst in less than four minutes. Anna Cogdell started it with a goal off a corner.
Twenty-four seconds later, Fraticelli slipped past the defense for her second score. Loycke then capped the quarter with a finish in front, pushing the Scarlet Knights ahead 7-2.
Rutgers stays on the road Sunday at Colgate, with first hit set for 12 pm.
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