PISCATAWAY, N.J. - After backstopping Rutgers field hockey to a top-10 win on Friday afternoon, goalkeeper
Sophia Howard has been named the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week. Howard earns the recognition following her placement as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Howard made a season-high six saves to post the win over Iowa. The redshirt senior goalkeeper buoyed RU's efforts in the penalty shootout as she stopped halted of the four attempts to boost Rutgers to a 3-1 margin in the post-overtime shootout session.
The Aukland, New Zealand native earned her 30
th collegiate win with the victory over the Hawkeyes and also recently surpassed 200 collegiate saves. Howard has a 1.74 goals-against-average and .667 save percentage on the season.
Howard is working on a certificate in Labor and Employment Relations as she completes her fifth season 'On the Banks'. Howard previously was named the NFHCA Honorable Mention Player of the Week last season. She is the first national Player of the Week award winner for RU since
Guillermina Causarano claimed the Offensive accolade last year on October 11. The last NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week accolade for RU was given to Gianna Glatz on November 9, 2021, after she lifted RU to the 2021 Big Ten Tournament crown.
The Scarlet Knights earned their first ranked win of the season Friday, as the Scarlet Knights downed No. 7 Iowa following a penalty shootout for the team's first Big Ten win of the season. The victory marked the first top-10 win since 2023 (and 14
th since 2021) and the highest ranked opponent defeated since October of 2022. The win was RU's first over Iowa since 2018.
The Scarlet Knights are 4-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. RU returns to action this weekend on the road, playing at No. 2 Northwestern on Friday and Indiana on Sunday. The game against the Wildcats will be the team's fourth straight game against a ranked foe, and third in that stretch against a top-10 program.
