Rutgers Field Hockey Falls Short Against Delaware, 4-2
Aug 29 | Field Hockey
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (August 29, 2011) - Rutgers sophomore forward, Gia Nappi (Fairfield, N.J.) tallied her second goal in as many matches but it wasn't enough to overcome Delaware's three goal rally, as the Blue Hens downed the Scarlet Knights 4-2 in Monday evening's nonconference field hockey match at Bauer Track and Field Complex.
RU falls to 1-1 on the season, while UD improves to 2-0 under first year head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof.
Rutgers continued its momentum from Friday, striking just 2:05 into the matchup. A penalty corner by senior Mackenzie Noda (Allentown, Pa.) helped to setup a penalty shot for Nappi. The Fairfield, N.J. native beat Delaware goalkeeper, Noelle Diana, into the far post for her second goal of the season.
While the Scarlet Knights looked aggressive, it was a fresh Kasey Prettyman that came off the bench to strike next and even the score at one. UD wasn't done yet, as a Hannah Pepper penalty corner, just 2:45 later was stopped by Kayla Schweitzer and placed into the back of the net by Kelsey McKee, to give Delaware a 2-1 advantage going into the half.
The Blue Hens continued on the attack in the early part of the second half, as Prettyman passed through a set of RU defenders to find Nicole Onorato in front of the cage. Onorato tipped in the pass for the eventual game-winner.
RU had a chance to get itself back within one as Nappi found a wide open Lisa Patrone (Sewell, N.J.), who had managed to break away from the defense. Patrone carried the ball and pushed it ahead to Nicole Gentile (Jamison, Pa.) but Gentile was unable to get a shot off due to the retreating defense.
Delaware kept pressure on RU, as it maintained possession deep in RU territory. Kelsey McKee drilled a shot into the pads of Rutgers goaltender, Sarah Stuby (Roxbury, N.J.). Carley Hecht was there to collect the deflection and place it into the near corner to put UD on top 4-1.
Following a timeout, the Scarlet Knights regrouped and once again placed itself on the attack. Chelsea Rota (Langhorne, Pa.) punched in her first goal of the season following a scramble in front of the net, to bring RU within two, but that was as close as Rutgers would come.
"This was a total learning experience," head coach Liz Tchou said. "I think the last 24 minutes of the game was more our style. We put a little more pressure on them but we just weren't able to score."
Delaware outshot the Scarlet Knights 14-9 in the match, including a 10-5 advantage in the second half.
Diana tallied three saves on the afternoon to earn her second win of the season, while Stuby recorded six saves in the losing effort.
Rutgers continues its four-game home stand by hosting its third-straight Colonial Athletic Association opponent in William & Mary on Friday, September 2, at 4 p.m. The Scarlet Knights field hockey team will air its first contest of the 2011 season on RVision, when Rutgers battles the Tribe. A taping of the game will be available on www.ScarletKnights.com on Friday evening following the contest. Danny Breslauer and Mike Becker will be on the call and will provide fans with a 10-minute pre-game show, intermission interview with a Rutgers coach and a postgame show.
RU follows with a matchup against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, September 4, at noon. The Scarlet Knights snagged a 1-0 victory in the two's only meeting, back in 1984.
