PISCATAWAY, N.J – Rutgers field hockey is off to an outstanding start this season, winning its first five games, including ranked victories over No. 18 St. Joe's and No. 6 Princeton, with the victory over the Tigers representing the highest ranked team the program has ever beaten. The squad is ranked 17^th in the nation this week, the highest ranking since 2008.

The key to this exceptional beginning to the 2018 campaign has been the lockdown defensive effort. Through five games, the Scarlet Knights have allowed just two goals, both coming to No. 18 St. Joe's, outscoring opponents 16-2. Of the five wins, four have been shutouts, the most shutouts of any team in the nation. RU boasts a goals-against-average of just 0.40 per game, also leading the nation.

The defensive brilliance was on full display in Sunday's win over No. 6 Princeton. In this monumental victory, the Scarlet Knights had to desperately defend throughout the final stretches. The Tigers took 11 second half shots, and had eight penalty corner opportunities in the final frame, but Scarlet Knights' back line never buckled in preserving the 1-0 victory.

"We expected them to be coming at us and be bombing forward," sophomore Kerrie Burns explained. "We were just so strong. Every time the ball came in, we made sure to be first to the ball every time and we were there to intercept it. That was why we won that game."

Senior captain Linde van Schaik moved this season from midfield to center back, and she has stabilized that defensive unit. She is flanked on either side by a pair of freshmen in Shamong, N.J., native Abby Regn and Munich, Germany, native Milena Redlingshoefer, both of whom has played with maturity beyond their years. Burns has rotated from midfield into the back, and made a key defensive save in the second half to keep the game scoreless. The defensive penalty corner unit has done an outstanding job, rebuffing numerous chances. And the key to the whole thing starts in between the pipes with goalkeeper Gianna Glatz.

A sophomore from Shawnee High School in Medford, N.J., Glatz seized the starting goalkeeper job as a freshman last year. After an excellent debut campaign, she was invited this summer to the U.S. U-21 Junior National Camp by USA Field Hockey. This season, she has continued to step up her game. She holds a 0.43 goals-against-average and .905 save percentage, which both rank second in the nation, just mere percentage points from the lead. Against Princeton, she made six saves in the second half alone to clinch the win. This week, Glatz was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and earned national honorable mention from the NFHCA. 

"Our back line played with so much confidence," Glatz said after the victory over Princeton. "We all played as one unit. The communication was great. We play to each other's strengths and use that to our advantage."

After a highly successful five-game homestand to begin the year, the Scarlet Knights will hit the road for the first time this weekend. Friday night is a showdown with No. 10 Michigan in the first conference game of the season, followed by a neutral site game Sunday against Longwood.

The schedule gets no easier once the team returns home. They kick off Alumni Weekend on September 21 with Michigan State, followed by No. 22 Ohio State Sunday, televised nationwide by Big Ten Network. That OSU game begins a four-game stretch against ranked opponents, where they will also host No. 6 Penn State and travel to No. 13 Delaware and No. 3 Maryland. A daunting schedule no doubt, but with the way that the RU defense has been locked in, the Scarlet Knights will be up for the challenge.

"We've got the right people in this program," head coach Meredith Civico said. "All the pieces seem to be falling into place. What we're most excited about with this team is their potential. They are a humble group, but they're a hungry group, and their not satisfied with just this so far. So I'm really excited about this group's potential."

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers field hockey, follow the program on Twitter (@RUFieldHockey) and Facebook. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.