Oct. 29, 2015
Game Notes
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers field hockey plays its final two games of the 2015 campaign this weekend, hitting the road for contests at conference foe Indiana and No. 9 Louisville. The game on Friday will be an opportunity for RU to get its first conference win on national television, with the broadcast on Big Ten Network. Dean Linke and Kara Lentz will be on the call. On Sunday the Scarlet Knights will face their sixth ranked opponent of the season as they take on the Cardinals.
Rutgers is coming off a victory last weekend on the road at American. The Scarlet Knights trailed 1-0 at halftime, then scored twice in the final 20 minutes of the game to earn the victory. Freshman Linde van Schaik scored first, tallying her second goal of the season and second in the past three games. Sarah Regn netted the game winner, scoring her first goal since the 2013 season for the game-winner in the 67th minute. The win halted RU's losing streak at four games and was the team's first in its five true road games this season.
"We played really well last Friday," head coach Meredith Civico said. "We're really looking to keep growing from that and keep getting better going into this weekend."
In seven conference games, Nicole Imbriaco has eight points (four goals), while Katie Champion and Rachel Yaney each have six points (two goals and two assists). The trio has accounted for 80 percent of the team's scoring during conference play. Overall, the trio has combined for 20 of the team's 41 goals, with key contributions also coming from defender Devon Freshnock and captain Alyssa Bull (four goals apiece).
Rutgers has settled into a starting lineup that it has used for the past six consecutive games and eight of the past 10 contests. Playing in either a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation, the regulars consist of Champion, Imbriaco, and Yaney up front, Bull, captain Ali Stever, van Schaik in the midfield, and defenders Freshnock, Sofia Walia, Elyse Broderick and Carley Hawkins.
In the first season under head coach Amanda Janney, who came to IU after 10 seasons at Temple, the Hoosiers sit at 8-9. The squad has lost five of its past seven games, including two consecutive contests in overtime. IU also played at American last weekend, losing 4-3.Maddie Latino leads the team with nine goals and 24 points, while Kate Barber has seven goals and seven assists for 21 points. Noelle Rother has played the bulk of the season between the pipers, with a 1.96 goals-against-average and .748 save percentage.
On October 31 last season, RU defeated Indiana 2-1. The victory earned the Scarlet Knights a bid to the 2014 Big Ten Tournament and ended the Hoosiers season. Imbriaco tallied in the first half, and Walia scored the game-winning goal with just 2:12 remaining in regulation. The last two seasons RU has defeated Indiana in the game's final three minutes. In 2013, Champion scored with 1:14 left to give Rutgers a 1-0 road win. Lifetime, Rutgers is 4-0-1 against Indiana, also claiming OT victories in 2002 and 2008.
Louisville is 11-5 on the season, but is winless (0-5) in conference play. All five loses came to ranked opponents. Nicole Woods (seven goals, four assists, 18 points), Elisa Garcia (four goals, six assists, 14 points) and Stephanie Byrne (seven goals, 14 points) are their leading scorers. In goal, Ayeisha McFerran has a 1.15 goals-against-average with eight shutouts in 16 starts. Louisville holds a 8-1 advantage in the lifetime series between former BIG EAST rivals, with RU's win coming in a 3-1 victory in 2012.
