Field Hockey Travels to Big Ten Tournament
Nov 04 | Field Hockey
Big Ten Tournament
Ocker Field - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Quarterfinals - Thursday, Nov. 6, 3 p.m.
Rutgers (9-9, 2-6) vs. No. 12 Michigan (12-6, 6-2)
Michigan Leads All-Time Series 3-0
Semifinals - Friday, Nov. 7, 3:45 p.m.
Winner of Rutgers/Michigan
vs.
Winner of Northwestern/Iowa
BTN/BTN To Go
Tournament Central
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - This week Rutgers will head to the 2014 Big Ten Conference Field Hockey Tournament. The Scarlet Knights earned the No. 7 seed by virtue of their two conference victories, and will face the host Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mich. in Thursday's quarterfinal at 3 p.m. For the Scarlet Knights, this is their first postseason appearance since the 2010 BIG EAST Tournament, and only the second postseason appearance since 2003.
"We've worked really hard to get to this point. Not just this season, but our preparation to get to this point really started last year. We're viewing this as a brand new season going into the Big Ten Tournament. The exciting thing about it is that it really is anybody's game."
Head Coach Meredith Long
The Last Time
The conference tournament will be the first time this season where Rutgers will meet an opponent for a second time. The Scarlet Knights are making their second trip to Ann Arbor of the season, previously facing the Wolverines on Sept. 28 and falling 2-1 in a tight contest. Rachel Yaney scored the lone goal of the game for RU, who were playing without defender Sofia Walia, who is currently second on the team in points (20) and tied for the team lead with six assists.
"The team is gaining confidence knowing that we will see them again at full force. We've developed into a mature and composed unit. The last couple games we've seen their maturity and composure and we believe we can compete against anybody. We're looking forward to going out there and competing."
Head Coach Meredith Long
With a Victory
A lot is on the line if Rutgers earns a victory on Thursday. With a victory, it would be Rutgers':
- First postseason win since 1997 ECAC Tournament.
- First win against a ranked opponent since a 1-0 win over No. 16 Drexel, Oct. 6, 2013
- Tenth victory of the season, which would be the first double-digit win season since 2008 and a record for wins in a season under Coach Long.
Scouting the Wolverines
- Michigan finished the regular season with a record of 12-6, 6-2 in the Big Ten. They enter the Tournament on a two-game winning streak. UM has posted a 7-3 mark at Ocker Field this season.
- Fifth-year senior back Leslie Smith leads the Wolverines with 12 goals and 28 points.
- Ainsley McCallister has a team-best 17 assists and is second with 27 points.
- In goal Sam Swenson is 12-5 with a 1.39 goals against average and a .697 save percentage.
Series History
The Wolverines lead the all-time series 3-0 after the victory earlier this year. The prior meetings came in 2000 (2-0 UM victory in Michigan) and 1992 (2-0 UM victory in New Jersey).
Looking Ahead
With a quarterfinal victory against Michigan, Rutgers would play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 seed Northwestern and No. 6 seed Iowa.
Rutgers fell to Northwestern in its first road conference game of the year in a 1-0 overtime game on Sept. 26. The game was scoreless for the first 84 minutes before Northwestern tallied the game-winning goal. That was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Rutgers faced Iowa in its first Big Ten Conference game of the year and fell 3-0. With the victory, Iowa now leads all-time series 5-0-1.
Around the B1G
Of the nine field hockey schools in the Big Ten, six of them are ranked in the NFHCA Top 20, including four in the top 10: Maryland (2), Penn State (5), Northwestern (10), Michigan (12), Iowa (15) and Michigan State (19). Rutgers is 0-6 against those schools this year, with wins against Indiana and Ohio State. Rutgers is 16-57-6 all-time versus Big Ten opponents.
Around the Leaderboards
Rutgers individual leaders have remained fairly constant at the top for much of this season. Katie Champion paces the Scarlet Knights with 10 goals and 26 points. She is tied with Sofia Walia for the team lead with six assists, while Walia is second with seven goals and 20 points.
RPI
Rutgers checks in at 20 in the NCAA RPI.
Rutgers in the Big Ten
Amongst Big Ten competition, RU is:
- Second in defensive saves (9)
- Fourth in saves (106)
- Fourth in saves/game (5.89)
Rutgers in the NCAA Stats
Amongst the nations' leaders, RU is:
- 13th in defensive saves (9)
- 28th in saves/game (5.89)
- 40th in assists/game (1.61)
- 39th in save percentage (.716)
- Shevaun Hayes is 27th in the nation in saves/game (5.39).
- Elyse Broderick and Sofia Walia are tied for 25th with three defensive saves.
What to Watch for
- Sophie Wright (18 career goals) needs two goals to break into the top-10 all time at Rutgers.
- Jenn Staab's next point will tie her career-high.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers Field Hockey, follow the program on Twitter (@RUFieldHockey) and like the program on Facebook (RU Field Hockey). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
Players Mentioned
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