Rutgers field hockey is back home for a demanding Big Ten weekend, and the slate at the Bauer Track and Field Hockey Complex comes with plenty to watch. The Scarlet Knights face No.
18 Michigan on Friday at 3 pm before turning around to host Michigan State on Sunday at 12 pm. Both matches will stream on B1G+, with Dom Savino handling play-by-play and former letterwinners Kerrie Burns on Friday and Liz Romano on Sunday joining the broadcast.
Sunday adds a layer beyond the standings. It’s Senior Day and Letterwinners Day, and Rutgers will also mark the five-year anniversary of its 2021 Big Ten Tournament championship team. After the game, the program will honor Olivia Beattie, Olivia Fraticelli, Maddie Olshemski, Maddie Kidd, Emma Uprichard, Talia Schenck and Laura Loycke.
Rutgers comes into the weekend off its first Big Ten win of the season, a 3-2 penalty shootout over Ohio State last Friday. That result stretched the Scarlet Knights’ winning streak against the Buckeyes to 10 straight and pushed Rutgers to 7-6 overall.
Five of those six losses have come against ranked opponents: No. 18 Monmouth, No.
5 Virginia, No. 4 Princeton, No.
10 UConn and No. 2 Maryland.
The Scarlet Knights also have a win over then-No. 12 Syracuse.
Olivia Fraticelli continues to move up the program record book. Her goal at Ohio State was the 22nd of her career, tying Rachel Yaney (2013-16) for ninth in Rutgers history.
One more would tie Guillermina Causarano (2021-24) for eighth, and two more would match Linde van Schaik (2015-18) for seventh. She leads the team with 11 goals, which matches her career high from last season.
Freshman back Eden Doucelin picked up Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors Monday after logging every minute against Ohio State. Rutgers allowed just one goal from the field of play in that game, and Doucelin became the second Scarlet Knight freshman to earn the award this season, joining fellow back Lauren Iaccio.
Michigan arrives at 6-6 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten in the second season under head coach Kristi Gannon Fisher. The Wolverines opened the year 5-2 and started conference play with a 2-1 win over Michigan State, but they’ve since dropped four straight Big Ten contests, all against ranked opponents in Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern and Maryland.
Those four teams are all ranked in the top 11 this week. Michigan did beat No.
18 Monmouth last time out.
The Wolverines have four players with four goals apiece: Esmee de Willigen, Juliette Manzur and Natalie Millman among them. In goal, Hala Silverstein owns a 1.72 goals-against-average. Michigan has made five NCAA Tournaments since 2019 and has won four Big Ten titles.
The series history tilts Michigan’s way, as the Wolverines hold a 15-4 edge all-time. Rutgers, though, has been competitive in recent years, going 3-4 over the last seven meetings.
That stretch includes the Scarlet Knights’ 1-0 win over No. 2 Michigan in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament title game, when Rutgers captured the conference crown.
Four of the last five meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal.
Michigan State also comes to Piscataway with work to do in the league, sitting at 5-8 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play. It’s the first season for head coach Tamara Durante, and the Spartans are riding a five-game losing streak heading into Friday’s game at No. 1 Maryland before their trip to Rutgers.
Still, Michigan State has a few statistical bright spots. The Spartans lead the Big Ten with 5.31 saves per game, and Caro Schafer ranks third nationally with six defensive saves.
Lilian Knorr and Bianca Pizano are tied for the team lead with five goals each. Former Scarlet Knight back Natalie Arnold, sister of current Rutgers player Samantha Arnold, has started 10 games.
Michigan State has had one or fewer Big Ten wins in every season since 2018.
Rutgers owns the all-time edge in that matchup, too, leading 13-8-1 and having won 10 straight against the Spartans. The Scarlet Knights have shut out Michigan State in four of the last seven meetings and outscored the Spartans 22-4 over that span.
After this weekend, Rutgers heads back on the road for a pair of top-10 matchups at No. 6 Iowa on Friday, Oct. 23 at 3 pm and at No.
2 Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 12 pm. The regular season then wraps up at home against No.
11 Indiana on Friday, Oct. 30.
In Other News...
Rutgers Faces A Season-Defining Test At Maryland
Rutgers heads to SECU Stadium for a matchup that already feels like a turning point in a shaky Big Ten season, with Maryland on the other sideline in a game both teams badly need. Greg Schiano has emphasized the importance of competing in every game, and that message has carried extra weight as the Scarlet Knights try to steady themselves after a rough start against league competition.
The setting also gives this one a little more edge, since recent meetings have tilted Rutgers way and the matchup has become one of the more interesting ones on the Big Ten schedule for both programs. NJ.com analysts have already weighed in with their read on how the game might unfold, and the combination of recent form, past results and what is at stake makes this one hard to ignore for Rutgers fans looking for a sign that the season can still turn. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Locksley Faces A Defining Test As Maryland Season Slips
Rutgers heads into its meeting with Maryland with both programs trying to steady themselves after rough stretches, and the matchup comes at a time when neither side can afford many more setbacks. Maryland has dropped 11 straight conference games and has been leaking points on defense, while Greg Schianos team is headed toward a second consecutive losing season, a frustrating backdrop for a game that usually carries some urgency in the Big Ten standings.
Mike Locksley and Schiano both sounded worn by the way things have gone, each acknowledging the disappointment surrounding their teams before they meet. For Maryland, the pressure is especially sharp because the season has slipped so far that the next response matters almost as much as the result, and Rutgers will be watching closely to see whether the Terps can finally show some fight after so many conference losses. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Faces Another Mobile Quarterback Test After Costly Defensive Trend
Rutgers comes out of the bye week with a familiar problem waiting on the other side of Saturday: another quarterback who can hurt a defense with his legs as much as his arm. Marylands Malik Washington already showed what that can look like against the Scarlet Knights, and Greg Schiano has not hidden the fact that his team has had trouble with passers who can extend plays and keep drives alive when protection breaks down.
For Rutgers, the concern is bigger than one matchup. Schiano said the staff used the bye to work through the details of the issue, trying to sharpen how the defense handles broken plays and mobile quarterbacks before facing Maryland again. The timing gives the Scarlet Knights a chance to reset, but it also puts the burden back on a defense that knows exactly how costly this kind of test can be. [Read more 🡒]