PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 19 Rutgers field hockey has another split road and home weekend on the horizon. The Scarlet Knights open up Big Ten Conference play on Friday with a trip to play at Michigan State at 1 p.m. On Sunday, RU returns home to host Delaware, also at 1 p.m.

Friday's game at Michigan State will be available to stream on B1G+. There will be no live streaming option for Sunday due to the unfortunate multitude of four conflicting events on Rutgers' campus at that time. Live stats and twitter updates will be available for both games. Please be sure to follow those @RUFieldHockey or ScarletKnights.com for live tracking of Sunday's game, or be sure to attend in person, with free admission and free parking for all this Sunday at Bauer Field.

About Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights enter the weekend with a 3-3 record. The Scarlet Knights hold a 3-3 overall record on the season. RU also boasts ranked wins over No. 15 UConn and at No. 25 Monmouth. All three losses have come to teams ranked in the top-20 nationally.

Through two games, Marique Dieudonne leads RU with two goals, both of which came last weekend, including the game-winner in double-overtime at Monmouth. Guillermina Causarano, Lucy Bannatyne, Rachel Houston and Indy van Ek have also scored this season.

In goal, Sophia Howard has a 1.49 goals-against-average and .730 save percentage. Her 4.50 saves per game is the best mark in the Big Ten.

The game against the Spartans represents the first Big Ten game of the season. Rutgers opens Big Ten play after going 6-2 in league play last season and 11-5 over the past two seasons in Big Ten counting games.

About Michigan State

Michigan State enters the weekend with a 3-1 record. The Spartans opened the year by outscoring No. 21 American, Saint Louis and UC Davis by a combined 14-4 in three wins before taking a 1-0 shootout loss at Stanford.

Georgia Davies leads the team with seven points, and she's second nationally in assists per game. Ellie Rutherford and Emma O'Neill share the team lead with three goals. Monique Jardell has a 1.08 goals-against-average and .789 save percentage between the pipes.

Rutgers holds a 9-8 advantage in the all-time series against the Spartans and is currently on a six-game winning streak dating back to 2017. The Scarlet Knights have outscored MSU 21-6 over those six games. Last season, Bridy Molyneaux recorded the lone hat trick of her career as the then-sophomore posted all three goals on Senior Day for a 3-0 RU win over the Spartans.

About Delaware

Delaware enters the weekend with a 1-5 record, starting the year with a win over VCU, then encountering a five-game losing streak that includes four contests against ranked schools (No. 12 Virginia, No. 21 American, No. 10 UConn and No. 8 Penn State). UD also faces a ranked Princeton team on the road Friday.

Noelle Sabbagh leads the team with three goals and seven points. In goal, Lizzie Gaebel has a 3.03 goals-against-average and .638 save percentage. 

Delaware owns a 20-10-3 margin in the all-time series. RU has won two straight and three of the past four against the Blue Hens dating back to 2018, including two wins last season. The Scarlet Knights claimed a 2-1 win over UD in Piscataway on November 12 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. RU also claimed a 2-0 shutout win at Delaware in September. Lucy Bannatyne had a goal in each of those games.