PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 6 Rutgers field hockey played two home games this weekend. They also won both home games. The Scarlet Knights, the lone undefeated team in Division I field hockey, extended that winning stretch to 12-0 with a 4-2 win over Monmouth.
The Scarlet Knights were resillient, as a 2-0 lead turned into a 2-2 tie, but the hosts came back strong to score the last two goals of the game for a 4-2 win. Rutgers outshot the Hawks 19-10, with a 4-3 margin on corners. Goalkeeper
Sophia Howard made seven saves, matching her second highest total of the year.
Rutgers scored on its first shot of the day, just three minutes into the second quarter. A pass into the circle was briefly gained by the defense, but
Guillermina Causarano snuck around from behind, stole the ball, and slammed the ball home for a 1-0 lead for the Scarlet Knights. The Scarlet Knights had a late push in the opening half, gaining a corner in the final seconds, but the score remained 1-0 in favor of the home team heading into intermission.
The home team added to their ledger early in the third quarter. It was a quick strike connection on offense for RU, as
Bridy Molyneaux played the ball into the circle, and
Marique Dieudonne had an excellent touch on the ball to redirect it into the net for a 2-0 lead. Monmouth had a quick answer, as their leading scorer Sofia Fouces ripped in a shot to cut the lead to 2-1. The Hawks also capitalized on a corner late in the third quarter to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the fourth.
The Scarlet Knights capitalized on a corner to take a 3-2 lead.
Paulina Niklaus sent a ball to the back post and
Bridy Molyneaux put the ball in for the Scarlet Knights to retake the lead. Just less than two minutes later,
Julianne Kopec finished off a play for a 4-2 advantage. That score would hold, as the Scarlet Knights remained unbeaten at 12-0.
Rutgers is back on the road next weekend. The Scarlet Knights will travel to No. 7 Ohio State on Friday and then play at Michigan State on Sunday.
Postgame Notes
- Rutgers is 8-4 all-time against Monmouth with five straight wins.
- Rutgers is 2-0 against New Jersey schools (Princeton and Monmouth) this year.
- Rutgers is 7-1 against the two NJ schools over the past six seasons (since the start of 2018).
- Guillermina Causarano is the first RU player to score double-digit goals in a season since 2018 and just the fourth player (Daphne Groothuis, Nicole Imbriacco and Katie Champion) to score at least 10 goals over the 10 seasons since RU joined the Big Ten.
- Her 26 points are tied for 11th most in a single-season in RU history.
- Marique Dieudonne matched last year's career-best with her fourth goal of the season.
- It was the first time that RU went through regular season non-conference play undefeated since going 9-0 against non-league foes in 2018.
