PISCATAWAY, N.J. – For 2024, the No. 9 ranked Rutgers field hockey season begins this Sunday, as the Scarlet Knights host Vermont (12 pm, streaming on B1G+). The Scarlet Knights will have their first meeting with the Catamounts in 11 years. However, the Scarlet Knights' bench boss has a deeper connection to the program that goes back even longer.
 
For Rutgers head coach Meredith Civico, Vermont was where her collegiate coaching career started. After her collegiate playing career ended, the recent grad was working as a snowboarding instructor at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont. While working there, Civico connected with the Vermont coaching staff, who were looking for people to help in coaching their camps.
 
Despite just having graduated from college, Civico had some coaching experience in her background. While in undergrad at Maryland, Civico had to take a redshirt season in 2004 due to an injury, and during that time, stayed involved with the program in a player-coach role. She returned to the field for the 2005 season, contributed on the field as her team won the national title.  Civico parlayed experience and the initial opportunity with Vermont into a role as a volunteer coach for UVM, and eventually spent three seasons on the Catamounts staff. Her time on the staff coincided with success for the program, as she helped a squad that had an 11-44 record in the three prior years immediately record back-to-back double-digit victory season. That time included the first two meetings between RU and Vermont, with the squads matching up in Piscataway in 2006 and 2007.
 
While Civico had begun to think about a coaching career dating back to her time as a Terp, when she was helping the staff during her redshirt season, once the opportunity at Vermont emerged, it all happened quickly for her.  Following her time with the Catamounts, Civico spent one year as an assistant at Towson, then joined the Rutgers coaching staff as an assistant. In January of 2012, Civico was hired as the Scarlet Knights head coach. Just 28 years old and only six years removed from her time on the ski slopes of Vermont where she first began her coaching journey, Civico took the helm of the program. Since then, there has been no looking back, as the Ocean City, N.J. native has guided her home state program to 127 wins, three NCAA Tournaments and one Big Ten title since then.
 
About The Series
 
Rutgers and Vermont will meet for the fourth time all-time, and the first time since 2013. RU leads the all-time series, 2-1. The 2013 meeting was a 5-2 road win for the Scarlet Knights. The two squads also met in Piscataway in 2006 (3-1 win) and 2007 (3-2 overtime loss).
 
About Rutgers
 
Rutgers is looking to build off a highly successful recent history as the program enters the 2024 season. The Scarlet Knights are 75-38 since the start of 2018, a winning percentage of 66.67%. That time has included three NCAA Tournaments, winning the 2021 Big Ten Tournament, and 37 ranked wins, including 12 victories over top-10 foes. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 16-win season, the second most victories in program history. RU enters the season having won 43 of their past 61 games.
 
Rutgers bring back 79% of the team's goal-scoring from last season returns, with seven of the ten student-athletes who recorded at least one goal last year coming back. 78% of the team's point-scoring returns (9 of the 13 players to record at least one point return). The Scarlet Knights had a program record six student-athletes named All-Region last year, and five of those (Puck Winter, Guillermina Causarano, Paulina Niklaus, Ava Cickavage and Sophia Howard) return to The Banks for this upcoming season. In addition, nine newcomers join the squad, bringing 81 games of collegiate experience in four transfers as well as five freshmen.
 
About The Opponent
 
Vermont will open the year first on Friday with a road game at Lafayette before facing the Scarlet Knights. The Catamounts were picked fifth in the preseason America East poll. Midfielders Sophia Drees and Sophia Lefranc were named Preseason All-Conference Selection. Drees posted six goals and six assists as an all-conference selection last season, while Lefranc posted 10 goals and five assists as an all-conference and all-region honoree. Vermont was 8-10 last season and is 31-23 overall since 2021. Head coach Kate Pfeifer enters her 11^th season at the helm of UVM, and played collegiately in the Big Ten at Michigan, and will welcome six newcomers to this year's roster.
 
This will be the second straight season with RU opening against an America East Foe. Last season, RU opened with a trip to California against America East affiliate members UC Davis, Stanford and Cal.
 
With a Win, Rutgers would be:
 

• 11-2 in season openers under head coach Meredith Civico
• 3-1 All-Time vs Vermont
• 24-14 All-Time against the America East Conference
• 44-18 since the start of the 2021 fall season
• 11-1 against non-conference foes over the past two seasons