Aug. 29, 2015
Box Score
Video Highlights
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - A quick turnaround proved no trouble at all for Rutgers for Rutgers field hockey on Saturday afternoon. Playing in their second game in less than 24 hours, the Scarlet Knights responded strongly with a resounding 4-0 victory over Ball State.
"It was a great performance by the team overall. They came off a game against Bucknell yesterday, which is really hard to do in this sport, and they really put it all out there," head coach Meredith Civico said. "Everybody came on and contributed, from the starters down to the freshmen."
Rutgers utilized the penalty corners to their advantage, scoring its first three goals right after drawing corners. The first two goal scorers were identical to Friday's game, as for the second straight day Nicole Imbriaco and Rachel Yaney tallied the first two RU goals.
Just over eight minutes into the game, Imbriaco tallied to give RU a 1-0 advantage, with an assist to defender Devon Freshnock. 12 minutes later it was Yaney's turn, finishing off a feed from freshman Caitlin Nitschmann.
In the second half, another corner resulted in another goal. This time it was Freshnock slamming the ball home, assisted by freshman Linde van Schaik. Late in the game, the freshmen contributions continued as Kelly Hanna scored her first career goal off a deflection.
Rutgers controlled possession for the majority of the game, outshooting Ball State 23-5 and holding an 8-2 edge in corners. Goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes recorded her first shutout of the season.
The next game for Rutgers will be 3 p.m. next Friday, as the Scarlet Knights host No. 9 Virginia. The Cavaliers opened the season with a win Friday versus Drexel, and host No. 7 Penn State on Sunday.
"We will enjoy and celebrate these two wins, and then get back to it on Monday," Civico said. "We're really looking forward to hosting UVA, we had an incredible game against them last year, and the team is really excited to have them here for a rematch."
Game Notes
- Devon Freshnock had the first multi-point game of her career. She has already tied her career-highs in goals and assists, while setting a new career-high with three points on the season.
- Freshman Sabrina Shein made her collegiate debut.
- The points for Kelly Hanna (goal), Caitlin Nitschmann (assist), and Linde van Schaik (assist) were the first of their career.
- Shevaun Hayes recorded her third career shutout, totaling one in each of her three seasons at RU.
- 20 total players saw action for Rutgers.
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