PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers field hockey (5-1) defeated Michigan State (1-4), 5-1, on Sunday to complete its weekend sweep of the Spartans in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights also defeated MSU, 2-0, on Friday as RU is 5-1 heading into its bye week.
Senior
Kassidy Shetler scored a game-high two goals while senior
Kerrie Burns, redshirt senior
Katie Larmour and freshman
Liz-Elaine Stange each added one as Rutgers outshot Michigan State, 14-2. Junior
Milena Redlingshoefer led the team with two helpers, while senior goalkeeper
Gianna Glatz allowed just one goal in 45 minutes to earn her fifth win of the season.
"Our first two quarters were strong, but we need to make sure we're playing consistent for the entire game," said head coach
Meredith Civico. "Michigan State made some adjustments in the second half and fought until the last minute, which we expected. But we're happy with today. It was a total team effort, we got a lot of players experience and we're excited to be 5-1 heading into the bye week."
Stetler put Rutgers on the board first in the final moments of the first quarter, as Larmour found her off the restart to give the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 lead with 1:12 left in the opening quarter. RU then produced three goals in the next 15 minutes of play. Shetler tipped in an attempt off the corner, Burns followed with another tap in and Larmour closed the half with a breakaway unassited goal as Rutgers led 4-0 at halftime.
Michigan State found the back of the cage to open the third quarter, but the Scarlet Knights' defense held strong for the remainder of the game. RU then solidified its win with a goal from Stange in the final minutes of the fourth to earn its fifth consecutive win over MSU in the series.
Rutgers returns to play when it faces Michigan for a two-game series, with games on March 26 and March 28 in Ann Arbor.
