PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The 2021 fall season for Rutgers field hockey was hands down the most successful in program history. The Scarlet Knights set milestone after milestone, notching program records for wins (19), ranked wins (13), top-10 wins (6), and earned the first ever Big Ten Tournament Championship in Rutgers Athletics history.

So, what does the program do for an encore?

"Last season was incredible," Meredith Civico said. "We had an incredible group of players and worked so hard for a long time to win that championship; it was all the previous seasons building up to that moment. We felt this massive sense of accomplishment. We're very proud of where Rutgers field hockey is. The team is very excited to get started with this season. We have a new group, we lost 11 players but you walk into the locker room and you still feel that same culture and that desire to be great in everything we do. I'm really excited about this season and really looking forward to it."

RETURNERS

Rutgers returns two of its top three-point scorers from last season in sophomore Lucy Bannatyne (eight goals, 17 points) and junior Bridy Molyneaux (six goals, 13 points). RU will also look for contributions offensively from senior Rachel Houston (three goals, three assists).

Iris Langejans and Guillermina Causarano return after impactful debut campaigns. Langejans started all the games last season at right halfback and was twice earned Big Ten weekly awards. Causarano started 21 games at midfield with four points and earned a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award herself.

Such roster turnover also presents the opportunity for new players to step up. A quartet of seniors (Maggie Lamb, Amanda Beck, Isabella Mancini and Carly Snarski) all played in double-digit games last season and will look to step into larger roles this season.

Two players who redshirted last season, Annie Walsh and Elise Pettisani, return to action this season, alongside other returners such as Noelle Leaf and Lauren Kokoskie that will look to make an impact on the field.

In between the pipes, Sophia Howard is set to take the mantle from departed All-American Gianna Glatz. Howard played in five games last season, with a 1.10 goals-against-average and .769 save percentage.

"These upperclassmen are really excited for the opportunity to leave their own mark on the program," Meredith Civico explained. "They'll help continue what we've built with a new group of leaders, a new group of players stepping up and stepping into some new roles.

NEWCOMERS

Gone is an impactful senior class that accomplished so much in their time On the Banks. Incoming is a class of eight newcomers, four from New Jersey and four international players. The newest Scarlet Knights are Natalie Arnold, Erica Babitts, Marique Dieudonne, Dani Gindville, Vicky Jure, Indy van Ek, Olivia Weir and Puck Winter. A deep and talented group, the newest Scarlet Knights are ready to make the transition to collegiate field hockey and boost the program.

"It's really exciting to have so many newcomers on the team. Early in the preseason, every day was a pleasant surprise. I've been so impressed with all of the new players."

CULTURE

One element that has always been a key to the program success has been a tight-knit culture within the locker room. The group always preaches a family atmosphere, and the student-athletes consider themselves a sisterhood. Those close bonds within the program leads to a high level of connectedness that helps the team out of the field.

"We spent a lot of time in the offseason together as a group and meeting with our leadership group," Civico said. "It was an opportunity to building relationships. That's something that so special about Rutgers field hockey: family and chemistry on and off the field is what allows us to have success."

STAFF

Another reason in favor of the success of this team is the coaching staff. Rutgers was named the Mid-Atlantic Coaching Staff of the Year last season. There is a new face this year as Phil Edwards joins the staff as its new Technical Director. Edwards brings a wealth of experience to the program, having spent the past five years with USA Field Hockey. Maddy Sposito shifts into the role of Director of Performance and Analytics, with Joey Civico remaining as the staff's Volunteer Assistant Coach.

The staff is certainly one fans of the program can trust. Under the direction of Meredith Civico, RU has recorded three straights season with double-digit wins after hitting that mark once in the previous 18 years. RU is 28-10 over the past two seasons in the last calendar year, a winning percentage of 74%. The Scarlet Knights are also 11-5 in Big Ten Conference counting games over the past two seasons, a winning percentage of 69% in those league games. 

OUTLOOK

The Scarlet Knights enter the 2022 campaign ranked in the top-10 of the NFHCA's preseason Coaches Poll. RU comes in at No. 8, one of six Big Ten programs ranked in the top 11 spots. 

After hosting two successful exhibition contests against Rider and Syracuse, the team is ready to embark on another challenging slate of games, with a large number of home games (11) for fans to check out the program at the Bauer Track and Field Complex. The schedule features eight games against teams that went to the NCAA Tournament last season, including two Final Four teams and last season's NCAA Champion, Northwestern. 11 of the 17 teams on the slate were ranked in the last released NFHCA Coaches Poll last season. The action begins with RU hosting a Tournament for the first time, with the "Battle on the Banks" set to kick off action on the last weekend of August, featuring the Scarlet Knights alongside Duke and St. Joe's. RU will face 12 teams ranked in the preseason poll. 

"We're always wanting to do better and keep building," Civico said. "There's still that energy in the locker room and I know this group is hungry and they want to succeed and want to win. They are going to do all the little things that it takes."