No. 14 Rutgers field hockey will continue its Big Ten Conference schedule with a road game against Indiana on Friday at noon. The Scarlet Knights, who have a 7-5 overall record and are 2-1 in conference play, will be playing their third consecutive conference game away from home. The match will be available via live stream on B1G+.
Rutgers is currently ranked No. 13 in the RPI and No. 14 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, marking their highest positions this season. The team has faced five opponents ranked in the top 20 of the RPI and has one of the strongest schedules nationally.
Last weekend, Rutgers traveled to Michigan, where they defeated Michigan State 5-0, led by Sophie Kuiper’s two goals—her first multi-goal game. This win marked Rutgers’ tenth consecutive victory over Michigan State. In games they have won this season, Rutgers has outscored opponents 31-6 and recorded three shutouts.
The team then played at No. 12 Michigan, taking an early lead with a goal from Olivia de Zwaan before conceding two late goals and losing the match.
Goalkeeper Emily Nicholls is third nationally in save percentage at 83.1% and leads the Big Ten with 74 saves. She is the only Division I goalkeeper with at least 70 saves while maintaining a winning record.
Rutgers’ offense has been balanced, with 11 players scoring the team’s 34 goals this season. Olivia Fraticelli and Sophie Kuiper lead with six goals each, followed by Olivia de Zwaan with five, and Puck Winter and Martha Goodridge with four each.
After facing Indiana, Rutgers will return home for three games against top-ranked opponents: No. 1 Northwestern, No. 10 Iowa, and No. 12 Maryland.
Indiana enters the matchup with a 5-5 overall record and is winless in conference play at 0-2. The Hoosiers have played most of their games at home, where they hold a 4-3 record. Their most recent win was against UC Davis after three losses to ranked teams. Indiana’s five losses have all come against teams ranked either at the time or in the current poll.
The Hoosiers are ranked No. 34 in the RPI and are among the nation’s top ten in several offensive categories. Mijntje Hagen leads Indiana with 18 points (five goals, eight assists) and was recently named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick against UC Davis.
In goal, Indiana has used two starters: Kai Killian and Sadie Canelli, who have split starts throughout the season.
Rutgers leads the all-time series with Indiana 11-4 but has not won in Bloomington since 2018. A win on Friday would give Rutgers its first victory there since that year and improve its conference record to 3-1.
Defender Puck Winter continues to make an impact on defense, ranking among the NCAA’s all-time leaders in defensive saves. She leads Rutgers in this category and is currently seventh in NCAA history.
Several Rutgers players have received individual honors this season. Puck Winter has been recognized as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week; Martha Goodridge was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week; Emily Nicholls earned both Big Ten Freshman and Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Three Scarlet Knights—Anna Cogdell, Paulina Niklaus, and Puck Winter—were named to the preseason Big Ten Players to Watch List following all-conference recognition last season. Six student-athletes were selected by USA Field Hockey for the Senior Nexus Championship, with two also chosen for the U-21 Junior Women’s National Team Selection Camp.
Last season, Rutgers finished with an 8-9 record and held the highest RPI for a team not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Over recent years, Rutgers has consistently played ranked opponents and achieved multiple wins over top-10 teams.
Rutgers field hockey alumni Katie Larmour recently earned her first selection to Ireland’s senior national team, while Iris Langejans began her professional career in the Netherlands.
Head coach Meredith Civico emphasized the importance of team culture: “Culture is something you have to work at every single day; it doesn’t just happen,” Civico explained. “We have this acronym: RUTGERS that stands for our core values: Relentless, United, Tenacious, Gritty, Excellence, Respect, Strength. These aren’t just words on a wall – they’re how we live. We’re not just coaching a sport; we’re coaching people. Sports are played by people, and people are the most important.”
