The Scarlet Knights dropped their first game of the year Sunday afternoon against No.1 Northwestern. In a thriller of a match, Rutgers was unable to find the back of the net when it counted as they lost 2-1 in a penalty shootout. The defeat was not only their first of the year, but the result of the match costed the Scarlet Knights a share of the Big Ten regular season championship title.
While this dark spot on a fantastic year casts a shadow, the Scarlet Knights still have a lot of field hockey to be played. The Scarlet Knights will find themselves in the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament. A bitter sweet ending for Rutgers and their fans as they were literally one penalty stroke way from an undefeated regular season.
Scoring Recap
The Scarlet Knights wasted no time capturing the lead, as Rutgers found the back of the net just nine minutes into the match. The score came off of a blocked corner attempt, as Paulina Niklaus rallied the rebound and sent a laser into the net.
GOAL! #RUFH gets a tally from Paulina Niklaus and RU takes a 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/R8PFAagwNA
— Rutgers Field Hockey (@RUFieldHockey) October 22, 2023
Northwestern couldn't come up with a response until late in the match. At the 48th minute the Wildcats capitalized off of a corner opportunity to equalize the score.
🗣️ BACKBOARD. EQUALIZER. pic.twitter.com/whzdqvQlmD
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) October 22, 2023
Breaking It Down
It was a tight top-5 matchup between these two Big Ten foes. Fans were given exactly what they expected, tough competition and down to the wire action. While both teams had a ton of offensive opportunities and shots, the real talk was on the defensive side.
For Rutgers, goaltender Sophia Howard was electric in net with 10 saves. Howards performance single handedly kept the Scarlet Knights in the match, and prevented this game from being a big disaster.
As mentioned above, Sunday's loss prevented the Scarlet Knights from capturing a share of the Big Ten regular season title, however, the Scarlet Knights should get the second seed the the Big Ten tournament. A huge position to have and place to be in when the Big Ten is elite competition in field hockey.
Team Statistics
| RU | NU | |
| Goals | 1 | 1 |
| Shots | 10 | 16 |
| Shots on goal | 6 | 11 |
| Saves | 10 | 5 |
| Corners | 6 | 7 |
| Fouls | 0 | 0 |
Rutgers Game Leaders
- Paulina Niklaus : 4 shots (2 on goal), 1 goal
- Marique Dieudonne: 2 shots (2 on goal)
- Puck Winter: 3 shots, (2 on goal)
- Guillermina Causarano : 1 shot
Rutgers Field Hockey Next Game
The Scarlet Knights hit the road for the Big Ten tournament hosted by University of Michigan. Rutgers should have the second seed and will be matched up against the seventh seed.
- November 2nd at TBD PM EST vs TBD
- Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Watch: B1G+
- For full schedule click here
- Giants Make Big Coaching Changes After Drop Off Year - Who Is In and Who Is Out? - January 12, 2024
- Sterling Shepard Gets One Giant Send Off In Week 18 Victory - January 8, 2024
- Yankees Finally Address Pitching Issues With Poteet Signing - January 5, 2024
