Rutgers Field Hockey Set to Begin Critical Conference Stretch
Sep 28 | Field Hockey
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (September 28, 2011) - Rutgers field hockey enters its most important stretch of the season, as the Scarlet Knights are set to take on three BIG EAST opponents over its next four matches. The span begins with RU hosting Georgetown on Friday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. at Bauer Track and Field Complex. Rutgers follows with a 1 p.m. Sunday contest against nonconference foe Columbia at Columbia Field Hockey Venue.
"We're in our conference season now, and I definitely think that we've improved," head coach Liz Tchou said. "We still need to put a complete game together, where we are disciplined with the playing style that we want to play and that's what we're striving for. The girls have been really working hard to do that with communication. We're excited about the second half of the season and disappointed about some of our outcomes in some of the past few weeks. We are going to continue to fight everyday at practice and get better."
The Scarlet Knights (2-7, 0-2 BIG EAST) split over the weekend, falling 2-1 to Villanova on Saturday before amassing a 3-1 victory against Bucknell on Sunday. Mackenzie Noda (Allentown, Pa.) found the back of the net for the only Rutgers goal versus the Wildcats. The win over the Bison snapped a seven-game winless streak and gave Tchou her 60th win as the leader of the RU program.
Danielle Freshnock (Middletown, N.J.) connected for her second goal of the season just 1:28 into Sunday's match to help set the tone for Rutgers. Nicole Gentile (Jamison, Pa.) added a score 13 minutes in to give the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 advantage.
Bucknell's Kate Bowen brought the Bison within one early in the second half, deflecting a shot past goalkeeper Sarah Stuby (Roxbury, N.J.). Stuby accumulated five stops on the afternoon, including a diving save on a shot by Vickie Resh to keep the one goal lead.
Sophomore Gia Nappi (Fairfield, N.J.) blasted in an insurance goal in the 66th minute following a corner. Carlie Rouh (Berlin, N.J.) recorded an assist on the play for her fifth point in four games.
Georgetown (2-7, 0-1 BIG EAST) dropped four-straight, including a pair of matches over the weekend to Lock Haven and St. Francis (Pa.). Goalkeeper Briana Pereira combined for 15 stops in the two games and enters the weekend with 5.78 saves per game, putting her third in the BIG EAST.
Columbia (3-4, 2-0 Ivy League) has won two of its last three contests, including Saturday's 3-1 victory versus Cornell, ending a six-year losing streak to the Big Red. Three different Lions scored in Saturday's win. Gabby Kozlowski registered her team-leading fifth goal of the season and has totaled a team-high 39 shots. Christie O'Hara has seen all the action in the cage in 2011, recording 56 saves and allowing 20 goals.
RU holds an advantage in both all-time series. Rutgers has won eight-of-14 matches versus the Hoyas, but has dropped the last two to GU. The Scarlet Knights have defeated the Lions in back-to-back contests and maintain a 5-2 lead.
For live stats and more information on the Rutgers field hockey, log on to ScarletKnights.com. Also follow the program on Twitter at Twitter.com/RUFieldHockey and Facebook at Facebook.com/Rutgers Field Hockey.
