PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 15 Rutgers field hockey saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, falling 4-1 to the No. 17 Princeton Tigers.
Marique Dieudonne scored her second goal of the weekend for RU, while
Puck Winter had her first collegiate point with an assist on the play.
Sophia Howard made six saves.
Rutgers holds a 3-3 record through six contests. All three losses have come to teams ranked in the top-20 nationally. RU also boasts ranked wins over No. 15 UConn and at No. 25 Monmouth.
Princeton held a 19-16 margin in shots and 12-4 in corners.
RU's defense had a huge stop on defense early in the game. Off a Princeton corner in the first quarter,
Puck Winter cleared a ball off the back line. However, Princeton came back with two goals in the second quarter.
On the first goal, Princeton sent a pass across the circle and had a nice finish in front. The second goal came off a rebound, and the Tigers took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Princeton continued on the offensive in the second half. The Tigers earned seven corners in the third frame and were able to take advantage of one for a third goal and did the same in the fourth quarter.
RU's lone goal came late in the game, with only 1:10 to play. Off a corner, Winter sent the ball in, and Dieudonne had a tip on it for the goal.
Next up, RU will begin Big Ten Conference play, travelling to face Michigan State in the league opener on Friday. Following that are three consecutive home games, with No. 24 Delaware on Sunday.
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