PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers field hockey hosts a big-time nonconference matchup on Friday afternoon, facing off against a top-ten foe in No. 9 Virginia at 3 p.m. The game will be live streamed on BTN Plus, with James Stumper (play-by-play) and Jenn Staab (color-commentator) as announcers.

RU got the season off to an excellent start on opening weekend, handling its first two opponents in a 3-1 win over Bucknell and a 4-0 shutout of Ball State. Nicole Imbriaco and Rachel Yaney led the Scarlet Knights' offensively, each scoring two goals apiece, with Ali Stever, Kelly Hanna and Devon Freshnock also tallying goals.

Freshnock had a superb all-around weekend, totaling a goal and an assist to already match her career-highs in those offensive categories. She also anchored a back-line that allowed just one goal and six shots on net through two games, with Shevaun Hayes picking up her first career shutout on Saturday. Freshnock was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Five freshmen made their collegiate debuts last weekend, and made immediate contributions. Kelly Hanna scored the first goal of her career, while Linde van Schaik started both games and had an assist, and Caitlin Nitschmann also had her first career point with an assist.

Rutgers is looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since a 1-0 victory at No. 16 Drexel on Oct. 6, 2013. Since 2004, the Scarlet Knights have two victories over ranked opponents, the win over Drexel and a 3-2 win over No. 19 Albany on Aug. 24, 2012, which was the first career win for head coach Meredith Civico. RU will be looking for the highest ranked win in program history against the Cavaliers, in the team's 18^th game against a top-ten foe.

The contest is designated as a Scarlet Lottery Game, as students will have the opportunity to earn points towards football tickets when RU hosts the Cavaliers.

Scouting Virginia

Virginia has started the season at 2-0, defeating Drexel 6-0 in the opener before earning a 4-3 overtime win against No. 7 Penn State last Sunday. Tara Vittese is the team's leading scorer after posting 17 goals and 17 assists last season, and was named Preseason All-ACC. The 2014 All-American was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals with two assists last weekend, including the game-tying goal against PSU with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Sophomore Emilie van Zinnicq Bergmann tallied three goals last weekend. UVA also has returning All-Region players Lucy Hyams and Caleigh Foust. The Cavaliers are replacing a four-year starter in goal, with Rebecca Holden (2-0, 1.95 GAA, 11 saves) seeing the bulk of playing time last weekend.

"Virginia is a game we're really looking forward to," head coach Meredith Civico said. "They are a tough team; they are well organized, with some standout players. We're going to have to play some really good hockey against them, play hard and play smart. We're up for the challenge, and confident with what our team has to offer. Our focus this week is on us and what we do well and bringing that to the field on Friday."

The Series

The Scarlet Knights are 0-2 all-time against Virginia. The first matchup was a 2-1 loss at then-No. 15 Virginia in 2007. The other contest was last season, when the game between Rutgers and the No. 9 Cavaliers was an overtime thriller. Katie Champion tallied two goals, and the Scarlet Knights held a two-goal lead in the second half, but UVA came back with two goals on penalty strokes and eventually pulled out a 4-3 win in overtime.

"Last year was a really exciting game," Civico said. "It was a great competition. That's why we play this game and why we love this sport. Being able to play a team like that early in the season should prepare us really well for the Big Ten Conference schedule and the rest of the year. We're going to get a really good quality match and that's something we're really looking forward to."

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