PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The 2021 fall season for Rutgers field hockey was hands down the most successful in program history. The Scarlet Knights set milestone after milestone, notching program records for wins (19), ranked wins (13), top-10 wins (6), and earned the first ever Big Ten Tournament Championship in Rutgers Athletics history.
So, what does the program do for an encore?
“Last season was incredible,” Meredith Civico said. “We had an incredible group of players and worked so hard for a long time to win that championship; it was all the previous seasons building up to that moment. We felt this massive sense of accomplishment. We’re very proud of where Rutgers field hockey is. The team is very excited to get started with this season. We have a new group, we lost 11 players but you walk into the locker room and you still feel that same culture and that desire to be great in everything we do. I’m really excited about this season and really looking forward to it.”
RETURNERS
Rutgers returns two of its top three-point scorers from last season in sophomore Lucy Bannatyne (eight goals, 17 points) and junior Bridy Molyneaux (six goals, 13 points). RU will also look for contributions offensively from senior Rachel Houston (three goals, three assists).
Iris Langejans and Guillermina Causarano return after impactful debut campaigns. Langejans started all the games last season at right halfback and was twice earned Big Ten weekly awards. Causarano started 21 games at midfield with four points and earned a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award herself.
Such roster turnover also presents the opportunity for new players to step up. A quartet of seniors (Maggie Lamb, Amanda Beck, Isabella Mancini and Carly Snarski) all played in double-digit games last season and will look to step into larger roles this season.
Two players who redshirted last season, Annie Walsh and Elise Pettisani, return to action this season, alongside other returners such as Noelle Leaf and Lauren Kokoskie that will look to make an impact on the field.
In between the pipes, Sophia Howard is set to take the mantle from departed All-American Gianna Glatz. Howard played in five games last season, with a 1.10 goals-against-average and .769 save percentage.
“These upperclassmen are really excited for the opportunity to leave their own mark on the program,” Meredith…
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