Field Hockey: 2025 in Review
Jan 05 | Field Hockey
PISCATAWAY, N.J - Rutgers field hockey wrapped up another quality season in 2025. The Scarlet Knights were nationally ranked in the top-20 throughout the whole campaign, added to their lifetime total of ranked wins, and saw a number of individual successes and accolades.
Rutgers recorded nine wins in the 2025 season, four of them in Big Ten play. It marked the 11th time in 14 seasons under head coach Meredith Civico that RU won at least nine games, the ninth time with a .500 or better record, and the third straight season along with seventh time in the past eight years RU won at least four Big Ten regular season games. Civico now holds a 144-113 career record with 43 career Big Ten wins.
The Scarlet Knights earned a road win at No. 16 UConn on September 12. With Puck Winter scoring the game-winner in overtime for a 3-2 victory, RU has 53 ranked wins since 2012 and 50 ranked wins since 2017.
Rutgers finished with an RPI of 19, with an opponent success measure of 11. RU played six games against teams with RPIs of 15 or better. RU faced seven teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament (New Hampshire, Northwestern, Princeton, Syracuse, Virginia, UConn and Iowa). That included facing both teams in the National Championship Game (Northwestern and Princeton). Rutgers played six overtime games during the season, including the double-overtime game in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan.
Puck Winter was named a Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-ECAC, to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and to the NFCHA Senior Team. She finished with 31 career defensive saves. That set Rutgers' all-time record, tied the all-time Big Ten record and was the fourth most in NCAA history. After leading the NCAA in defensive saves over the past two seasons, Winter had her third-straight top-five national finish this year with six defensive saves placing her fifth in the country.
Paulina Niklaus was named First Team All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-ECAC and to the NFCHA Senior Team. She posted five goals and had a team-high six assists. The team captain started all 52 games with 15 goals and 13 assists across her three years 'On the Banks'.
Emily Nicholls was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team. The goalkeeper finished fourth in the nation in save percentage (78.8%), first in the Big Ten. She was also second in the conference in saves per game (6.0). She had 108 saves on the year. She had the most saves in a season for any RU goalkeeper under head coach Meredith Civico and the most since for a RU goalkeeper since Rosalyn Wentko had 127 in the 2006 season.
Martha Goodridge was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team. She was an instant starter for the team across back and midfield, adding four goals and two assists, including the game-winning goal in an overtime win over Ohio State.
Olivia Beattie earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. She has 51 career starts at back in three years as a Scarlet Knight.
Olivia Fraticelli scored a team-leading 11 goals. After not scoring a goal through 21 games across two seasons as an underclassman, Fraticelli scored 11 times in 18 games as a junior.
Puck Winter was RU's selection as an All-American as a Second Team pick. Rutgers has had 13 players named All-American since 2018 (previously only 1 All-American between 2002 and 2017).
Both Puck Winter and Paulina Niklaus were First Team All-Region players. This was the fourth straight all-region selection for Winter, and third for Niklaus. Each have earned all-region honors after every collegiate season they have played. This marks the third straight season that RU has had multiple All-Region selections, seven times in the last eight years that RU has had multiple First Team All-Region players, and the 10th straight season that RU has had at least one All-Region player.
Paulina Niklaus and Puck Winter were named First Team All-Big Ten. Martha Goodridge and Emily Nicholls were named to the All-Freshman Team. Olivia Beattie was named the winner of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Rutgers has at least two First Team All-Big Ten honorees for the sixth time in the past eight years, dating back to the 2018 season. It was the second time for both Niklaus and Winter that they were placed on the First Team All-Big Ten listing. Niklaus and Winter become the fourth and fifth Scarlet Knight to be named First Team All-Big Ten multiple times, joining Gianna Glatz, Katie Larmour and Iris Langejans.
Rutgers has won 60 games over the past four seasons and notched 18 ranked wins over the past six seasons and 42 ranked wins since 2018.
Across 10 home games, Rutgers drew 4,770 fans. The average attendance of 530 placed them third in the nation and second in the Big Ten. That marked the fourth time over the past five years that RU finished in the top-seven nationally in average attendance.
Gallery: (12-18-2025) Best Photos: 2025 Field Hockey Season
| The Season |
Rutgers recorded nine wins in the 2025 season, four of them in Big Ten play. It marked the 11th time in 14 seasons under head coach Meredith Civico that RU won at least nine games, the ninth time with a .500 or better record, and the third straight season along with seventh time in the past eight years RU won at least four Big Ten regular season games. Civico now holds a 144-113 career record with 43 career Big Ten wins.
The Scarlet Knights earned a road win at No. 16 UConn on September 12. With Puck Winter scoring the game-winner in overtime for a 3-2 victory, RU has 53 ranked wins since 2012 and 50 ranked wins since 2017.
Rutgers finished with an RPI of 19, with an opponent success measure of 11. RU played six games against teams with RPIs of 15 or better. RU faced seven teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament (New Hampshire, Northwestern, Princeton, Syracuse, Virginia, UConn and Iowa). That included facing both teams in the National Championship Game (Northwestern and Princeton). Rutgers played six overtime games during the season, including the double-overtime game in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan.
| Individual Standouts |
Puck Winter was named a Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-ECAC, to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and to the NFCHA Senior Team. She finished with 31 career defensive saves. That set Rutgers' all-time record, tied the all-time Big Ten record and was the fourth most in NCAA history. After leading the NCAA in defensive saves over the past two seasons, Winter had her third-straight top-five national finish this year with six defensive saves placing her fifth in the country.
Paulina Niklaus was named First Team All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-ECAC and to the NFCHA Senior Team. She posted five goals and had a team-high six assists. The team captain started all 52 games with 15 goals and 13 assists across her three years 'On the Banks'.
Emily Nicholls was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team. The goalkeeper finished fourth in the nation in save percentage (78.8%), first in the Big Ten. She was also second in the conference in saves per game (6.0). She had 108 saves on the year. She had the most saves in a season for any RU goalkeeper under head coach Meredith Civico and the most since for a RU goalkeeper since Rosalyn Wentko had 127 in the 2006 season.
Martha Goodridge was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team. She was an instant starter for the team across back and midfield, adding four goals and two assists, including the game-winning goal in an overtime win over Ohio State.
Olivia Beattie earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. She has 51 career starts at back in three years as a Scarlet Knight.
Olivia Fraticelli scored a team-leading 11 goals. After not scoring a goal through 21 games across two seasons as an underclassman, Fraticelli scored 11 times in 18 games as a junior.
| All-American |
Puck Winter was RU's selection as an All-American as a Second Team pick. Rutgers has had 13 players named All-American since 2018 (previously only 1 All-American between 2002 and 2017).
| All-Region |
Both Puck Winter and Paulina Niklaus were First Team All-Region players. This was the fourth straight all-region selection for Winter, and third for Niklaus. Each have earned all-region honors after every collegiate season they have played. This marks the third straight season that RU has had multiple All-Region selections, seven times in the last eight years that RU has had multiple First Team All-Region players, and the 10th straight season that RU has had at least one All-Region player.
| All-Big Ten |
Paulina Niklaus and Puck Winter were named First Team All-Big Ten. Martha Goodridge and Emily Nicholls were named to the All-Freshman Team. Olivia Beattie was named the winner of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Rutgers has at least two First Team All-Big Ten honorees for the sixth time in the past eight years, dating back to the 2018 season. It was the second time for both Niklaus and Winter that they were placed on the First Team All-Big Ten listing. Niklaus and Winter become the fourth and fifth Scarlet Knight to be named First Team All-Big Ten multiple times, joining Gianna Glatz, Katie Larmour and Iris Langejans.
| Overall |
Rutgers has won 60 games over the past four seasons and notched 18 ranked wins over the past six seasons and 42 ranked wins since 2018.
Across 10 home games, Rutgers drew 4,770 fans. The average attendance of 530 placed them third in the nation and second in the Big Ten. That marked the fourth time over the past five years that RU finished in the top-seven nationally in average attendance.
| Best Photos from The Season |
Players Mentioned
B
/ Field Hockey
B
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field Hockey
B
/ Field Hockey
B
/ Field HockeyRutgers Field Hockey at Penn State Highlights
Saturday, November 01
Rutgers Field Hockey: Win at Indiana Highlights
Friday, October 10
Rutgers Athletics Launches the Athletic Excellence Fund
Monday, October 06
Rutgers Field Hockey Highlights At Michigan State - October 3, 2025
Friday, October 03
