PISCATAWAY, N.J – No. 19 Rutgers field hockey finished its opening weekend of play unbeaten with a 4-1 win over Ball State Saturday. They were led by
Katie Larmour's two goals, her first multi-goal game since 2016, with
Austyn Cuneo and
Clayre Smith also adding a tally apiece.
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- Larmour had two goals, scoring the first goal of the game and then the team's fourth goal.
- Clayre Smith scored her first collegiate goal.
- Austyn Cuneo scored her team-leading third goal of the season.
- Rutgers outshot Ball State 17-3.
- Rutgers had 11-0 advantage in corners.
- Gianna Glatz had two saves.
Rutgers scored first on the game's first shot. Just 5:04 into the game, Larmour took a pass from Houston and fired it in. Then,
Clayre Smith recorded her first score as a Scarlet Knight, finishing off a shot in front of the net. Ball State had a late tally in the second quarter, but RU held a 2-1 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, the Scarlet Knights were awarded a penalty stroke.
Austyn Cuneo stepped to the dot and converted, giving the home team a 3-1 advantage. Four minutes later, Larmour inserted a corner, and Cuneo slid it back to her at the post, where she finished to seal the final 4-1 margin.
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"Today were had some fatigue playing in the back-to-back games but I think we managed the game really well. We passed the ball a lot and picked it up to get it done. It's good to be back after a tough last two seasons dealing with injuries but my knees are good now and I'm excited to keep it going.
- Katie Larmour tied her career-high with two goals, previously having tallied twice against Siena (Sept. 18, 2016)\
- Austyn Cuneo leads the team after the opening weekend with three goals and two assists for eight points.
- Freshmen Maggie Lamb and Rachel Houston each had their first career assist.
- Gracey Butsack made her first start of the season.
- Olivia Drea and Noelle Bessette made their season debuts.
- Rutgers now leads the all-time series over Ball State 5-1.
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The Scarlet Knights have two road games next weekend against ranked foes. The team is at No. 4 UConn on Friday night (6 p.m.) before playing at No. 17 St. Joe's on Sunday (1 p.m.)
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