ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ranked No. 5 in the nation and the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers field hockey opened postseason play on Thursday afternoon with a 1-0 win over No. 16 ranked and No. 7 seed Michigan. Second Team All-Big Ten selection Paulina Niklaus scored the game's lone goal with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Scarlet Knights held on for the victory.

With the win, Rutgers improved to 16-2 overall. Playing the host of the whole tournament on their home ground of Ocker Field, the Scarlet Knights dealt Michigan their eighth loss of the season to a ranked foe, dropping the Wolverines to 9-8. Rutgers' 16th win on the season represented the second most wins in a season ever for the program, only trailing the 2021 team, who finished 19-4. 

Paulina Niklaus scored her third goal of the year, extending her goal-scoring streak, as she has now tallied in three straight games. Sophia Howard made three saves for RU to record her sixth shutout of the season.

The game was very tightly contested throughout, with most of the action coming through the midfield, with a competitive battle in the middle of the field without many chances within the circle. Overall, Michigan had a 9-7 advantage in shots and 6-3 margin in corners.
 
The stat sheet was very even throughout. Shots were 3-3 in the first 30 minutes, and 5-5 after 45 minutes. Each team's goalkeeper had three saves through the first three quarters, but there was no scoring heading into the fourth quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, 10 minutes went by without even a shot for both teams. RU then went a player down on a five-minute yellow card. However, RU gained a penalty corner at the 4:44 mark, RU's first corner of the second half. Off the rebound, RU gained a second corner. Paulina Niklaus swept in a shot from the top of the circle, lifting it in and breaking through for the game's first goal. Guillermina Causarano on the insert and Vicky Jure on the stick-stop picked up the assists on the play.

Michigan pushed back, gaining a series of corners just after the RU goal. It was four corners in a row for the hosts, but RU's defense kept them off the scoreboard. The Scarlet Knights were able to close out the game on the defensive end, preserving the 1-0 victory. It was RU's eighth victory by a margin of one goal this season.
 
Rutgers moves on to the Semifinals for just the second time in program history. RU's only other previous Big Ten Tournament victories all came in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament, when RU hosted and went 3-0 en route to the Tournament title. The Scarlet Knights will play No. 3 seed Maryland next at 3:30 pm on Friday on Big Ten Network.

With the Win, RU claimed its:

• Seventh ranked win of the season
• 4^th ever Big Ten Tournament win
• 4th ever win over Michigan (two of them being in the Big Ten Tournament).  
• First win against Michigan outside of New Jersey

Survive and advance... #RUFH stays alive to play another day at the #B1GFH Tournament!

📰: https://t.co/t6SncryIvy pic.twitter.com/WA7Qi0zDEn

— Rutgers Field Hockey (@RUFieldHockey) November 2, 2023