Conshohocken, Pa. – No. 12 Rutgers field hockey continued its unbeaten streak to start the season, picking up their fifth straight road win to open the year with a 6-2 victory at Villanova. The Scarlet Knights were buoyed by three goals from Puck Winter, two from Marique Dieudonne and Julianne Kopec added her first goal as a Scarlet Knight, as Rutgers improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2018 season.

The Scarlet Knights grabbed the lead early in the game, scoring just 4:14 minutes into the game. Ava Cickavage, returning to action after missing the win at UConn, made a great run down the right side of the field, and sent the ball towards the cage. Marique Dieudonne received the pass and finished it for an early 1-0 lead for the visitors.

Villanova answered back just four minutes later. The Wildcats used a penalty corner to equalize the game halfway though the opening quarter.

The game would not remain tied for long however, as RU tallied again in the final minute of the first quarter. Exactly 10 minutes after their opening goal, RU retook the lead. After a corner, Puck Winter blasted one in for a 2-1 lead for the Scarlet Knights.

Just under two minutes after that, RU tallied again on an eerily similar play. It was another corner that Winter slammed home for her second goal of the opening half. Guillermina Causarano and Paulina Niklaus picked up assists on each of Winter's two goals.

Villanova pushed for a goal late in the second quarter, but Sophia Howard stood tall in net, saving multiple chances as VU tried to covert on corners.  The Scarlet Knights took a 3-1 lead into the intermission.

Coming out of the break, RU scored again. It was Marique Dieudonne again, who found open space inside the 25 to beat the goalkeeper and put the Scarlet Knights ahead, 4-1.

Villanova answered shortly after, finding a player open in front to cut the RU lead to 4-2. RU answered back late in the third quarter. Lucy Bannatyne sent a pass in front, and Julianne Kopec finished from the back post for her first goal as a Scarlet Knight. Puck Winter added her final goal off a corner in the final frame, cementing the 6-2 final score.

Postgame Notes

• Rutgers improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2018 team started 5-0.
• Rutgers now owns three straight wins over Vilanova, and are 16-19-1 in the all-time series, dating back to 1977.
• Winter now has five goals on the season, surpassing last year's total of three.
• Winter had her first multi-goal game of her career, let alone a hat trick.
• Winter's hat trick represented the first RU player to score three goals in a game since Bridy Molyneaux had all three RU goals in a 3-0 win over Michigan State on Oct. 29, 2021.
  • It was just the second RU hat trick since 2017.  
• Dieudonne had her first two goals of the season.
• Causarano, Nikalus and Lucy Bannatyne each had their first career game with two assists.
• The assists were the first career points for Niklaus.
• Rutgers' six goals were their most since scoring seven goals in a 7-0 win over Georgetown on Oct. 7, 2018.
• Rutgers scored at least five goals in a game for the first time since Sept. 18, 2022, a 5-4 win over Delaware, a span of 14 games.
• It was just their second time reaching the four-goal mark in the past 35 games, dating back to August of 2021.
• RU has scored at least five goals in a game once in each of the past four games, dating back to the spring season in 2021.
• Rutgers had a 16-7 advantage in shots.
• Sophia Howard made three saves.
• Natalie Arnold and Lauren Kokoskie made their career debuts, while Dani Gindville saw her first action of the season.
• The game was delayed over an hour at the start due to weather.

Up Next
The Scarlet Knights have another local road game this Sunday. RU will travel down to face in-state rival, No. 15 Princeton at noon.