PISCATAWAY, N.J.  – No. 24 Rutgers field hockey takes a trip to upstate New York this weekend. The team hits the road for games at Cornell on Friday and then No. 3 Syracuse on Sunday, facing two of the last four unbeaten teams remaining in the nation. Friday's game can be streamed on the Ivy League Digital Network, while Sunday can be viewed on ACC Network Extra / ESPN3. 

The Scarlet Knights remain in the national rankings at No. 24 this week. After starting 4-0 for the first time since 2008 and entering the rankings for the first time since that season, RU took two losses, both away from home, last weekend, falling at No. 12 Princeton and St. Joe's.

The squad has been boosted by an infusion of newcomers and youth, as the starting lineup last weekend featured just two upperclassmen (both captains) and saw six newcomers start in two of the last three contests. A freshman, Daphne Groothuis, paces the team with six goals and 15 points, while freshman Gianna Glatz has started every game at goalkeeper, with a 1.46 goals-against-average.

Cornell enters the weekend unbeaten, off to its best start since the 2009 season at 4-0 and fresh off a win over then-No. 24 Maine. Cornell's goalkeeping duo of Maddie Henry and Kelly Johnson have split time and combined for three shutouts, as Cornell ranks second in the nation in goals-against average (0.50), save percentage (.926) and shutouts per game (0.75).The Scarlet Knights have won the last four matchups against the Big Red to take a 6-3 lead in the all-time series, including a 4-2 win last season.

Syracuse boasts a defense that has allowed just nine shots on goal in seven games, and no goals have been allowed by Borg van der Velde. The team has outscored opponents 24-0, including ranked wins over No. 25 Pacific, No. 8 Boston College and No. 21 Abany. Carolin Hoffman leads the team with five goals and 11 points. The game will be the 100^th game of RU coach Meredith Civico's head coaching career. All-time the Orange lead the series between the two schools 20-6, including winning the last 10 games against their former conference rival since the last Rutgers victory (1-0 in 2003). A win over No. 3 Syracuse would be the highest ranked victory in school history for RU. The Orange are the third ranked team RU faces this season (beat No. 23 Old Dominion, lost at No. 12 Princeton).