PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers field hockey will host two huge contests this weekend in the final homestand of the season. The Scarlet Knights will welcome Penn State at 3 p.m. Friday before facing Maryland on Sunday at noon.

Friday's game will be the annual Blackout Game, with fans encouraged to wear black, and a black t-shirt giveaway. The game will also be streamed on BTN Plus.

Sunday will be Senior Day, as Rutgers will honor seniors Katie Champion, Carley Hawkins, Nicole Imbriaco and Ali Stever in a pregame ceremony. The quartet has combined for 221 games in a Scarlet Knights uniform entering this weekend, with a total of 39 goals and 100 points between them.

"We have a really great four seniors this year," head coach Meredith Civico said. "This group of seniors would do anything for their teammates and for the program."

RU is at 6-7 on the season, and looking for its first Big Ten victory. The team is averaging 2.85 goals per game on the season and seeking to return to winning ways after taking five losses in its last six contests. Imbriaco leads the team with 11 goals and 25 points, followed by Rachel Yaney (six goals, 14 points), Katie Champion (four goals, 13 points), Alyssa Bull (four goals, 13 points), and Devon Freshnock (four goals, 11 points).

Champion and Imbriaco are each on the verge of milestone totals this weekend. Champion is one goal and two points away from tying for 10^th all-time on Rutgers' career leaderboard, while Imbriaco's 12^th tally of the season would place her seventh on RU's single-season goals list.

"We've been trying to play free, just worry about us and getting better as a team," Civico said. "That's what we can control, the details of what we do. We're focused on the controllable and getting after Penn State. It's going to be a dogfight, that's what I expect. We have to play hard and we have to play smart."

The matchup against Penn State Friday is crucial for potential seeding in the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions are 1-3 in conference play, with a 6-1 victory over Michigan State, and are 5-8 on the season. PSU enters on a three game losing streak, having been shut out three consecutive times. Brooke Birosik leads the team with five goals and 12 points. Jenny Rizzo has played every minute in goal, with a 1.62 goals-against-average and .732 save percentage.

Penn State leads the lifetime series between the teams 14-4-3. Rutgers last win over the Nittany Lions was a 1-0 victory in 1985. Last season's matchup, which PSU took 3-0, was the first time the teams met since 1993.

Maryland is currently the No. 7 team in the nation, and sits at 11-3 prior to a Wednesday night contest at No. 11 Old Dominion. The team has outscored opponents 50-22 on the season, best in the Big Ten. Linnea Gonzales leads the team with 10 goals, and four players have at least 20 points. Between the pipes Sarah Holliday has received the bulk of the playing time, with a 9-0 record and 1.33 goals-against-average.

Maryland leads the all-time series with Rutgers 26-3-1. The last Scarlet Knights victory game came in a 4-3 win in 1998. Last season Maryland won earned a 4-0 victory in College Park.

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