ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 3 Rutgers field hockey went on the road Friday for a showdown of two of the top-three ranked teams in the nation. Ultimately, No. 2 Michigan prevailed by a final score of 3-0
. Rutgers now stands at 12-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play, while the Wolverines improve to 13-1 and 5-1 in conference play.
Michigan took advantage of a 14-3 margin in shots and a 4-0 advantage in penalty corners to secure the win.
Gianna Glatz made nine saves for the Scarlet Knights, including one highlight-reel save to deny a penalty stroke chance. Glatz now has 340 saves in her career, passing Rebecca Donohue for fifth all-time in program history.
The game remained scoreless after the first quarter. Rutgers had some early chances to score, taking the only two shots of the first frame, but couldn't capitalize, and the game remained scoreless through the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Michigan had a huge opportunity when they were granted a penalty stroke with five minutes remaining in the second quarter. However, Rutgers' goalkeeper
Gianna Glatz made a huge save, diving to her right to turn the attempt aside and keep the game deadlocked at 0-0.
The Wolverines tallied late in the second quarter, scoring with just 36 seconds remaining in the opening half. The initial chance was kicked aside but could not be cleared, and Michigan put home the rebound to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Halfway through the third quarter, Michigan added a second tally to their ledger. The Wolverines converted off a penalty corner and took a 2-0 lead. The home team added another goal late in the third, extending their advantage to 3-0, securing the win.
The road trip continues Sunday. RU will play at No. 21 Ohio State at noon, televised live on Big Ten Network. Dean Linke and Jeanne Shin-Cooper will be on the call for the national broadcast.
Following that contest, RU returns home for its final regular season games against Michigan State (Fri., Oct. 29 at 2 p.m.) and Lafayette (Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m.). The Scarlet Knights will honor its senior class in the final weekend of action. Then, RU will be the host for this year's Big Ten Tournament, welcoming fellow Big Ten schools to Piscataway for action from November 4-7.
