PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 21 Rutgers field hockey is on the road this weekend for a pair of home games. Rutgers will play at Indiana (3 p.m. Friday) and No. 3 Iowa (12 p.m. on Sunday). Both games will be live streamed on B1G+ and have live stats available via Statbroadcast.

Through 10 games, RU has played eight at home and seven against ranked foes. The back half of the regular season schedule will feature seven games, with four of those on the road and five of them against ranked foes. Indiana represents the lone remaining Big Ten foe on the schedule not to be ranked. The Scarlet Knights' four Big Ten opponents remaining after Indiana are ranked this week in the top-6 nationally (No. 3 Iowa, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 4 Maryland and No. 6 Penn State), in addition to a nonconference matchup with current No. 13 Syracuse.

The Scarlet Knights stand at 6-4 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Dating back to last season, RU is 7-1 in their past eight games against Big Ten foes. The Scarlet Knights have won six of their past eight games overall following an 0-2 start to this season, which includes three ranked wins.

The Scarlet Knights are led in points by two Netherlands natives with eight: Marique Dieudonne (three goals, two assists) and Iris Langejans (two goals, four assists). Seven different players have multiple goals on the season for RU, with Lucy Bannatyne, Guillermina Causarano, Rachel Houston, Bridy Molyneaux and Indy van Ek all with a pair as well.

Starting goalkeeper Sophia Howard has a 1.78 goals-against-average and .721 save percentage, setting a career-high in saves for the second time this season with 11 stops versus Michigan. Back Puck Winter is fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten with three defensive saves.

After graduating 10 seniors from last year's first ever Big Ten Tournament winning squad, including eight starters, RU has a new look to the lineup this year. Since the opening weekend, RU has established a traditional starting lineup in the past eight games. The Scarlet Knights have used Iris Langejans, Puck Winter, Elise Pettisani and Isabella Mancini at back, Guillermina Causarano, Vicky Jure and Lucy Bannatyne at midfield, and Marique Dieudonne, Bridy Molyneaux and Rachel Houston at forward.

Among that group of 11 starters, four of them (Winter, Pettisani, Jure and Dieudonne) entered the season with zero career collegiate games played. Mancini and Howard, two of the team's captains alongside Causarano, had combined for just five career starts entering the year.

At 2-1, RU stands in fourth place among Big Ten teams. Iowa is one of three remaining undefeated teams, with Indiana at 0-1. 

Rutgers is 10-2-1 all-time against the Hoosiers and have won six straight against IU, dating back to 2018. That includes a victory in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals last season, the 100^th victory of head coach Meredith Civico's head coaching career.

Rutgers is 3-9-1 all-time against Iowa, with a three-game winning streak from 2016-2018 representing the peak of the series. The Hawkeyes were one of just two Big Ten teams and four teams overall to defeat RU last season as the Scarlet Knights went 19-4 and 6-2 in league games. Civico shared Big Ten Coach of the Year honors with Iowa's Lisa Cellucci following the Covid-adjusted spring season of 2021.

Indiana enters the matchup with a 7-4 overall record and are 4-2 at home. IU is 0-3 versus ranked teams thus far.

Indiana leads the nation with nine defensive saves, with captain Sydney Keld's nine pacing the country. Jemima Cookson has a team-best six goals and 13 points, while Keld is second with four goals and 10 points.

Iowa enters the weekend at 8-1 overall and 2-0 in league play, with a game Friday as they'll host a top-10 foe in Maryland. Following a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 2 UNC on opening weekend, the Hawkeyes are on a six-game winning streak.

Iowa is in the top-five nationally in assists, goals-against-average, goals per game, points per game, scoring margin and shutouts. In goal, Grace McGuire has a 0.80 GAA that is second nationally. Alex Wesneski is fourth nationally with 1.11 goals per game. The pair earned Big Ten Player of the Week awards this week, with their performances in a big weekend for Iowa. The Hawkeyes toppled then-No. 1 Northwestern, 2-0, and outscored Ball State 6-1. Wesneski had three goals in the two games and McGuire had eight saves and a shutout of the Wildcats. Lieve Schalk is eighth nationally in assists.