Rutgers Fall Sports Update

Field Hockey (7-6, 3-3 Big Ten)

The No. 20 (then No. 23) Knights took down No. 3 Northwestern this past Saturday. It was Rutgers’s highest ranked win to date, improving their record to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the loaded Big Ten, with seven of nine teams in the Top 20 and five in the Top 10. Freshman Indy van Ek and Junior Iris Langejans, both hailing from the Netherlands, scored the Knights’s two goals. Langejans picked up Big Ten and National Defensive Player of the Week awards for her stellar play shutting down the nation’s leading scorer, Bente Baekers.

The game was part of RU’s weekend of celebrations in honor of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX. The Scarlet Knights hosted a large group of alumni who were recognized pregame in the anthem walkout, and helped create a raucous atmosphere to energize and push the team to victory.

“I’m so proud of the team and Rutgers field hockey and our program. This team has been really building, game after game. We had a rough weekend last weekend and didn’t perform to our capabilities. We took a look and learned from that and made some adjustments. We knew if we put together a complete performance today, we can do anything. Northwestern is defending national champions, they are No. 2 in the RPI, so it’s a huge win in so many ways. I’m proud of the team and the way they’ve grown game-to-game. Today they proved to themselves that they can do anything if they play smart, stick with the game plan and play together.”

Meredith Civico (courtesy Rutgers Athletics)

The young Knights, who currently sit in 3rd place tied with Iowa behind Maryland and Penn State, finish up against four ranked opponents: #2 Maryland, #11 Syracuse, #4 Penn State, and #17 James Madison. With an RPI of No. 17 in the nation, opportunity is knocking for the Knights to bank quality wins and make a push for another NCAA tourney berth.

Men’s Soccer (6-2-5, 2-1-2)

The men’s team continues to build upon an impressive season, tying Indiana 2-2 last Sunday and shutting out Stony Brook 2-0 this past Wednesday at Yurcak Field, with Pablo Avila and MD Myers scoring goals. Myers currently is the only double-digit scorer in the Big Ten and RU leads the conference with 30 goals. The Knights, who take on Michigan State this Sunday in East Lansing, currently sit in a 3-way tie for 3rd place behind Maryland and Penn State. With a current RPI of 42, Rutgers is making a strong push for an NCAA tournament berth.

Women’s Golf

Rikke Nordvik helped Women’s Golf win the Rocket Classic in Port Clinton, Ohio this past Tuesday. Nordvik won the individual title with a 6-over 222 (73-75-74), the first victory of her Scarlet Knight career. Rutgers dominated the individual leaderboard, with Leigha Devine finishing 2nd with a 7-over 223 (74-72-77) and Maeve Rossi finishing 3rd with a 10-over 226 (77-75-74).

The Scarlet Knights will wrap up their fall slate in two weeks at The Battle at the Beach hosted by TCU. The event will tee off on Friday, October 28th at Club Campestre San Jose GC in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Courtesy Rutgers Athletics).

Women’s Volleyball (7-12, 1-6)

The Rutgers volleyball team returns to the court at No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a 5 p.m. match at the Covelli Center in Columbus, looking to snap a 5-game conference losing streak. The team’s lone conference victory was September 25th vs. Michigan State in which they rallied from two sets down to take the match in five.

Cross Country

Rutgers cross country returned to action on Friday, Sept. 30 competing in the 48th Annual Paul Short Run on the Goodman Campus course at Lehigh University. Sophomore Alex Calson led the Scarlet Knights in the women’s 6K as she finished 34th overall.

“The men and women had a good day on the course at Lehigh. We had 21 of 27 student-athletes achieve lifetime personal records. Twelve of 14 on the women’s side and nine of 13 on the men’s squad. We learned some valuable lessons that will help us make adjustments and prepare us for our next race in two weeks, and for our championship season which is now only a month away.”

Head Coach Matthew Jelley (courtesy Rutgers Athletics)

Cross Country is back in action this Friday, October 14th at the Penn State National.