PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers field hockey begins their season this Friday, following a near-400 day wait since their last time on the field playing together. The season kicks off with two weeks of neutral site games in Virginia Beach, Va., where Rutgers will play four conference games. The Scarlet Knights open up this Friday against Indiana at noon, followed by a Sunday morning matchup at 10:30 a.m. against Ohio State. Both of those games will be streamed on BTN Plus.
This weekend is the first of two weekends of the neutral site format, with RU returning the following weekend to face Iowa and then another game against the Buckeyes. Rutgers will return home for the home opener on March 12 against Michigan State.
Rutgers returns an All-American goalkeeper in
Gianna Glatz. Also a member of the U.S. U-21 Women's National Team, the Medford, New Jersey native had a 0.740 save percentage last season on top of four shutouts.Glatz was joined by
Katie Larmour and
Kerrie Burns as Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch.
"It's awesome to be back together with my teammates,"
Gianna Glatz said. "It was tough being away from my teammates during the summer, they are like my family. Once we got back together, it was like we never left. It is such a family atmosphere, we are literally sisters and best friends."
Seven of the eight top scorers from 2019 will return to the field this season as well as 13 members who have previously starting experience. That includes four players who started every game: Larmour (second on the team with seven goals and 15 points),
Kerrie Burns (third on the team with four goals and nine points),
Tayla Parkes (two goals and five assists), and back
Abby Regn. Melina Redlingshoefer (second on the team in assists) returns alongside other key contributors in
Clayre Smith,
Rachel Houston,
Kassidy Shetler, and
Gracey Butsack.
The Scarlet Knights welcome seven new players to this year's roster. Four of the newcomers are New Jersey natives, joined by three international players.
Rutgers will take on the Indiana Hoosiers to start the schedule. Rutgers has won six of the last eight matchups against the Hoosiers, including last season's 3-2 win. Indiana was represented on the Big Ten Preseason Watch List by Jemima Cookson, Sydney Keld, and Mary Kate Kesler.
On Sunday, the Scarlet Knights will face off with Ohio State, which will be the season opener for the Buckeyes. Rutgers trails the all-time series with the Buckeyes 4-6, but captured a 1-0 win in Columbus last season. Ohio State returns Mackenzie Allessie, a First Team All-Big Ten selection last season.
After a long hiatus, Rutgers is hoping to make the most of their time back on the field. The Scarlet Knights have not played a game since the fall of 2019, and are eager to build on what the team had accomplished prior to the COVID-19 pandemic stoppage.
"We've been able to go all out every time we step on the field and be really appreciative of the fact that we are able to be here and to train," said newcomer
Liz Romano. "Hopefully all our hard work will pay off in the spring."
The culture is still strong. The bond of sisterhood off the field helps improve the program's success on the field. There is a lot of excitement within the team's
brand new locker room about being back together and readiness to begin this new journey.
"The team culture here is the best in the country," Kassidy Shettler said. "Everyone is super welcoming and inclusive. This is a family environment, a group of people that always have your back on and off the field."
