Field Hockey Set for Spring Schedule
Mar 05 | Field Hockey
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - After five weeks of early morning practices inside the RAC, the Rutgers' field hockey team will begin its spring competition schedule this weekend.
Indoor field hockey provides a unique perspective on the game. The game is played with just four field players and a goaltender. The pace is much faster, with players unable to lift the ball off the indoor court. The game features more focus on technical skills and decision making components.
"The spring for us is all about individual development," head coach Meredith Long explained. "That indoor segment is all about skill acquisition, skill development, and decision-making. The spring is definitely a time to develop, especially for our younger players, our freshmen in particular who haven't played a ton of minutes during the season. This is really their opportunity to gain some game experience in these tournaments and play-days. The pressure is off so it's really about just going out and trying things and developing as players and seeing what they can do."
Last season the Scarlet Knights won nine games, qualifying for postseason play for the first time since 2010. RU graduated two senior captains in Sophie Wright and Jenn Staab, but will return their top four leading scorers. Coach Long will count on a few key leaders, as well as the development from some of the squad's younger players.
"Alyssa Bull is going to be a two-time captain. She gets the group going and I think she's definitely a motivator," Long said. "Some of the other upperclassmen are stepping up as well. Ali Stever is a player with tons of experience and I think she's a player that the team really looks to. The sophomore class is providing excellent leadership as well in Sofia Walia, Elyse Broderick, Devon Freshnock, and Rachel Yaney. That young group has played a considerable amount of hockey together on this team and their confidence is coming through, and bringing the freshmen along with them and getting them excited about spring season. I'm really excited to see what that group does."
The spring season will commence with the Big Apple Indoor Tournament this Saturday and Sunday. Rutgers will field two teams in the event, splitting up the squad into upperclassmen and underclassman, with freshman and sophomores composing one team and the juniors and seniors composing another. The teams will be placed in different pools for the tournament, creating the potential for a matchup in the finals.
After the Big Apple Indoor Tournament, the Scarlet Knights will travel for a game against Delaware on March 28. The Blue Hens were 13-9 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Following that is a tournament in New York City, hosted by Columbia University, giving the Scarlet Knights and opportunity against multiple teams. RU will then conclude the fall schedule with an in-state matchup at Princeton, who is coming off their 10th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
"Delaware is a full game and we'll play an overtime period and probably do a shootout," coach Long said. "The Columbia tournament, we have gone there for the past three years. They usually get about seven teams so we will play a variety of different opponents, shorter games around 20-25 minutes. Then, we will finish with Princeton who is one of the top programs in the country, just 30 minutes away so we take advantage of that relationship quite a bit. We scrimmage in the fall and we always play in the spring so that should be a good test to finish off the spring season. It's a good mix. For us, it's about testing ourselves, about building our confidence. It's about preparing using the competitions to prepare the group for next season."
2015 Spring Field Hockey Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| March 7-8 | Big Apple Indoor Tournament | Pottstown, Pa. |
| March 28 | University of Delaware | Newark, Del. |
| April 12 | Tournament at Columbia University | New York, N.Y. |
| April 18 | Princeton | Princeton, N.J. |
