PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 23 Rutgers field hockey will host No. 3 Northwestern this weekend. The game is Saturday at noon, with a live stream on B1G+, with Chris Tsakonas and Marybeth Freeman on the call. Live stats via statbroadcast, alongside twitter updates on the team's official channel.

The game will be part of Rutgers' recognition of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, presented by Adidas. The landmark legislation created competitive success on the playing field and in the classroom for Rutgers women who have continued success beyond "The Banks" and inspired future generations in fulfilling dreams of competing at the highest level while pursuing higher education. During the weekend, RU will welcome alumnae back to campus as Rutgers plays homage and honors the impact of the women who have blazed the trail during the first fifty years of Title IX while supporting the present and future of women in sport. The team will commemorate its letterwinners weekend with a large group of former players returning to campus for a pregame brunch and postgame barbecue. At the game, fans will receive a free Title IX tumbler, and RU will wear special Title IX warmups.

The Scarlet Knights have played in extremely tight games this season. Of their 12 contests, nine have been decided by two or less goals, and six by one goal. That includes four games to require extra time after a draw through regulation (two overtime games, one requiring double overtime, and
one shootout).

Rutgers is looking to halt a three-game losing streak in Big Ten play, which came on the heels of RU winning six of the previous seven games. RU has outshot (151-137) and out cornered (67-66) its opponents this season. The Scarlet Knights' remaining schedule following No. 3 Northwestern features a currently ranked opponent the rest of the regular season, with No. 2 Maryland, No. 11 Syracuse, No. 5 Penn State and No. 17 James Madison left on the docket.

Puck Winter has three defensive saves, which ranks her seventh nationally and second in the conference. With an additional defensive save from Elise Pettisani, RU is 10^th nationally with four defensive saves as a squad.

In goal, Sophia Howard is third in the Big Ten with 4.5 saves per game. She boasts a save percentage of .711 and goals-against-average of 1.74. Defensively, RU has been stout. Against No. 3 Iowa last Sunday, the Scarlet Knights held Iowa far below their season scoring average, as the Hawkeyes entered averaging 3.56 goals-per-game (fifth nationally) and scored just once in the game.

Rutgers has utilized the same starting lineup for its past 10 games. That unit includes Marique Dieudonne, Rachel Houston, Bridy Molyneaux, Lucy Bannatyne, Guillermina Causarano, Vicky Jure, Iris Langejans, Elise Pettisani, Isabella Mancini, Puck Winter and Sophia Howard.

Entering the weekend, RU stands in fourth place in the Big Ten with a 2-3 conference record, trailing only Maryland (5-0), Penn State (4-1) and Iowa (3-1). Northwestern is one of four Big Ten teams just behind RU entering the weekend with only one league win thus far. 

No. 3 Northwestern enters the matchup with a 10-2 overall record but are just 2-2 in their past four games. The Wildcats took Big Ten losses to No. 4 Maryland (2-1, overtime) and No. 5 Iowa (2-0). NU has also claimed wins over No. 6 Penn State (a 5-4 overtime thriller last weekend) along with ranked wins this season over No. 8 Princeton, No. 9 Virginia, No. 11 Liberty, No. 14 Boston College, No. 18 Duke, No. 22 Maine and No. 25 UMass. The Wildcats have outscored opponents 40-16 this season

Bente Baekers powers Northwestern's offense, as her 18 goals leads the national individually, five more than the next individual (Erin Matson, 13), and bettering RU's total of 17 as a team. She also paces the nation in points (3.5 per game). In between the pipes, netminder Annabel Skubisz has a .729 save percentage and 1.31 goals-against-average. The Wildcats are in the top-10 nationally as a team in assists, goals, penalty corners, points, scoring average and scoring margin.

Northwestern leads the all-time series between the programs, 8-4. However, since 2018, the series is 4-3 in favor of RU, and the Scarlet Knights have won three of the past four meetings. That includes two victories in the spring 2021 regular season over then-No. 4 ranked Northwestern, a 2-1 and 3-2 overtime decision. In the team's lone meeting during the fall 2021 season, the last time that these two squads matched up, RU earned a 2-1 victory over then-No. 3 ranked Northwestern on September 24. That game featured a RU comeback that saw them overturn a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 win with a pair of second half goals to claim that season's Big Ten opener. RU's wins over No. 3, No. 4 and No. 4 ranked Northwestern in the past two seasons represents the highest ranked wins in program history during the regular season, bettered only by the historic victory over No. 2 Michigan in last season's Big Ten Championship game.