Friday, October 30
Piscataway, N.J.
12:00 PM
Rutgers
vs
Indiana
Photo by: Jordan Bank
Oct 28 | Field Hockey
Game is at Noon on Friday
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers field hockey, who returned to the NFHCA Coaches Poll this week at No. 18 in the nation, faces No. 15 ranked Indiana this Friday at noon to close out the regular season. The game begins at noon, with RU starting Halloween commemorations at the contest. There will be a live stream on B1G+ with Dom Savino on the call.
About Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights have improved to 10-7 overall and are up to No. 15 nationally in this week's RPI release. Rutgers is 4-3 in the Big Ten and has won five of its past six games. This is the fifth time in the past nine seasons that RU has won at least 10 games. The Scarlet Knights are one of five Big Ten teams in the top-15 of the RPI, the most of any conference (the ACC has four and the Ivy League has three).
A win over Indiana would give RU conference record better than .500 for the fourth time in the past seven seasons. Rutgers is looking for its fourth ranked win of the season, with wins over then-No. 12 Syracuse, No. 18 Michigan and No. 6 Iowa. That would be the eighth time in the past nine seasons that RU won at least four games against ranked foes.
Emily Nicholls was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, her third career Big Ten weekly accolade (second Defensive). She made career-high 16 saves, including stopping a penalty stroke in overtime,Ā in RU's 4-3 overtime win over No. 6 Iowa. That total was the most in a single game for any RU goalkeeper since at least 2012 and the most for any Big Ten goalkeeper since 2024.
Frederique Vernooij scored the game-winning goal late in overtime to defeat the No. 6 ranked Hawkeyes last Friday. Three of RU's four Big Ten wins have extended past regulation and the team has played five games this season that lasted past regulations (two overtime wins, 2-1 record in penalty shootouts).
Olivia Fraticelli leads the team with 13 goals, which is third in the Big Ten. Her 27 points are sixth in the Big Ten. The Toms River, N.J .native has scored 13 goals on just 31 shots (42% of her shots have scored). Her 13 goals are seventh on RU's single-season goal list, while she is 12th on the single-season points list. Her 24 career goals are tied for 7th all-time at Rutgers. Her 51 career points are 21st all-time at Rutgers. One more goal would tie Fraticelli for sixth all-time at RU with Mary Beth Dwyer (1982-85). She can reach a tie for 14th on RU's all-time points list with Austyn Cuneo (2017-19) with two more points.
As a team, Rutgers has scored 48 goals this season. The last time that RU reached that goal total for a season was in 2021, when RU scored 48 goals in 23 games. Rutgers' next goal would be their most on a season since 2018 (when Rutgers scored 50 goals across 19 games).
About Indiana
IU has been ranked for the last five weeks, reaching as high as no. 11 in the country. The team had their best 10-game start to a season since 2014 when they opened at 7-3 and won their first four Big Ten games for their best conference start since 2005. The Hoosiers now stand at 9-6 overall and 4-3 in league play, entering on a three-game losing streak in three straight ranked matchups (No. 2 Northwestern, No. 19 Penn State, No. 1 Maryland). All six losses this year have come to ranked foes, with IU also beating then-No. 2 Iowa and No. 13 Michigan. This is the first time that Rutgers and Indiana have matched up where Indiana will be a ranked team. Indiana is also in the top-20 of this week's RPI release, coming in at No. 19.Ā
Molly Stutte (team-high 23 points) shares the team's goal lead with Celia Arroyo Cabezduo, while Ines Garcia Prado has 12 points (two goals and eight assists) and Mijntje Hagen has five goals. Goalkeeper Sadie Caneli has a 0.87 goals-against-average on a 76.9% save percentage, as IU has outscored foes 34-16 on the year. Garcia Prado was an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten was last, while Hagen joined her on All-Big Ten.
About the Series
Rutgers is 12-4-1 all-time against Indiana. Since 2017, RU has won eight of the last 10 meetings. All four RU losses in the series, which dates back to 1981, came on the road, Ā as RU is 8-0 against Indiana in games played on their home field, including a victory in the Quarterfinals of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament that RU hosted. Rutgers has scored at least three goals in seven of the last nine games against Indiana, including last season's 4-0 victory in Bloomington.
Up Next: The Big Ten Tournament
The contest will be the regular season finale for RU. The Scarlet Knights' seeding for the Big Ten Tournament will be determined following the weekend's action. Rutgers can finish as high as third in the Big Ten and can be seeded between fourth and sixth, with possible matchups including a rematch against Indiana. The Big Ten Tournament starts next week with the Quarterfinal games on Wednesday, November 4. Game time will be determined by RU's seed.
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About Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights have improved to 10-7 overall and are up to No. 15 nationally in this week's RPI release. Rutgers is 4-3 in the Big Ten and has won five of its past six games. This is the fifth time in the past nine seasons that RU has won at least 10 games. The Scarlet Knights are one of five Big Ten teams in the top-15 of the RPI, the most of any conference (the ACC has four and the Ivy League has three).
A win over Indiana would give RU conference record better than .500 for the fourth time in the past seven seasons. Rutgers is looking for its fourth ranked win of the season, with wins over then-No. 12 Syracuse, No. 18 Michigan and No. 6 Iowa. That would be the eighth time in the past nine seasons that RU won at least four games against ranked foes.
Emily Nicholls was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, her third career Big Ten weekly accolade (second Defensive). She made career-high 16 saves, including stopping a penalty stroke in overtime,Ā in RU's 4-3 overtime win over No. 6 Iowa. That total was the most in a single game for any RU goalkeeper since at least 2012 and the most for any Big Ten goalkeeper since 2024.
Frederique Vernooij scored the game-winning goal late in overtime to defeat the No. 6 ranked Hawkeyes last Friday. Three of RU's four Big Ten wins have extended past regulation and the team has played five games this season that lasted past regulations (two overtime wins, 2-1 record in penalty shootouts).
Olivia Fraticelli leads the team with 13 goals, which is third in the Big Ten. Her 27 points are sixth in the Big Ten. The Toms River, N.J .native has scored 13 goals on just 31 shots (42% of her shots have scored). Her 13 goals are seventh on RU's single-season goal list, while she is 12th on the single-season points list. Her 24 career goals are tied for 7th all-time at Rutgers. Her 51 career points are 21st all-time at Rutgers. One more goal would tie Fraticelli for sixth all-time at RU with Mary Beth Dwyer (1982-85). She can reach a tie for 14th on RU's all-time points list with Austyn Cuneo (2017-19) with two more points.
As a team, Rutgers has scored 48 goals this season. The last time that RU reached that goal total for a season was in 2021, when RU scored 48 goals in 23 games. Rutgers' next goal would be their most on a season since 2018 (when Rutgers scored 50 goals across 19 games).
About Indiana
IU has been ranked for the last five weeks, reaching as high as no. 11 in the country. The team had their best 10-game start to a season since 2014 when they opened at 7-3 and won their first four Big Ten games for their best conference start since 2005. The Hoosiers now stand at 9-6 overall and 4-3 in league play, entering on a three-game losing streak in three straight ranked matchups (No. 2 Northwestern, No. 19 Penn State, No. 1 Maryland). All six losses this year have come to ranked foes, with IU also beating then-No. 2 Iowa and No. 13 Michigan. This is the first time that Rutgers and Indiana have matched up where Indiana will be a ranked team. Indiana is also in the top-20 of this week's RPI release, coming in at No. 19.Ā
Molly Stutte (team-high 23 points) shares the team's goal lead with Celia Arroyo Cabezduo, while Ines Garcia Prado has 12 points (two goals and eight assists) and Mijntje Hagen has five goals. Goalkeeper Sadie Caneli has a 0.87 goals-against-average on a 76.9% save percentage, as IU has outscored foes 34-16 on the year. Garcia Prado was an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten was last, while Hagen joined her on All-Big Ten.
About the Series
Rutgers is 12-4-1 all-time against Indiana. Since 2017, RU has won eight of the last 10 meetings. All four RU losses in the series, which dates back to 1981, came on the road, Ā as RU is 8-0 against Indiana in games played on their home field, including a victory in the Quarterfinals of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament that RU hosted. Rutgers has scored at least three goals in seven of the last nine games against Indiana, including last season's 4-0 victory in Bloomington.
Up Next: The Big Ten Tournament
The contest will be the regular season finale for RU. The Scarlet Knights' seeding for the Big Ten Tournament will be determined following the weekend's action. Rutgers can finish as high as third in the Big Ten and can be seeded between fourth and sixth, with possible matchups including a rematch against Indiana. The Big Ten Tournament starts next week with the Quarterfinal games on Wednesday, November 4. Game time will be determined by RU's seed.
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Players Mentioned
Monday, October 26
Tuesday, October 20
Monday, October 19
Saturday, October 17
