ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In a neutral site matchup, No. 17 Rutgers field hockey scored early and often, defeating Longwood (5-2) by a 5-0 margin. The Scarlet Knights (6-1) got goals from Daphne Groothuis, Tayla Parkes, Linde van Schaik, Kassidy Shetler and Gianna Mancini. RU outshot the Lancers 22-4 and had a 10-3 margin on penalty corners.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Scarlet Knights found a scoring burst early in the first half, scoring three goals over a four-minute span. Daphne Groothuis tallied first, sending a hard shot in from the top of the arc for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Just one minute later, RU tallied again. Freshman Tayla Parkes scored her second career goal, tipping in a feed from Gracey Butsack to give Rutgers a 2-0 lead.

Three minutes later, a penalty corner led to a third score. Senior Linde van Schailk inserted the corner, then after Groothuis' initial shot was saved, she was in position to knock the ball home for an early 3-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights outshot the Lancers 9-1 in the frame, with Longwood's first shot not coming until the waning seconds of the half.

In the second half, Rutgers continued the offensive pressure. Kassidy Shetler scored a goal 10 minutes in, knocking in a rebound after the initial shot hit the post to give RU a 4-0 lead. Gianna Mancini followed that up with her first goal of the season for Rutgers' fifth and final score of the day.

QUOTABLE - HEAD COACH MEREDITH CIVICO

"It was a solid team performance against a hardworking Longwood team that has started the season really well. I'm happy we were able to bounce back after a disappointing game on Friday, score some good goals and put up a solid defensive display. We can now look forward to Michigan State and make sure we continue to improve."


POSTGAME NOTES

• Groothuis' goal was fifth of the season. She leads the team with 16 points.
• Kassidy Shetler now has three goals on the season, setting a new career high in goals and points (six) for the sophomore.
• Through seven games, the Scarlet Knights are outscoring opponents 22-5.
• Gianna Glatz and Amanda Lamb combined on the shutout. It was Rutgers fifth shutout of the season, which leads the NCAA.
• Lamb made two saves, a season-high.
• Nikki Santore assisted on Gianna Mancini's goal, her first point of the season. 

 UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights return home for two Big Ten games next weekend. Friday at 3 p.m. the team hosts Michigan State, then Sunday at 1 p.m, they host No. 23 Ohio State. Both games are part of Alumni Weekend, and Sunday will be televised nationwide by Big Ten Network.

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