It will be a pretty good mix of talented veterans and some equally gifted newcomers who grace the Rutgers field hockey roster this season.
The Scarlet Knights, who are ranked No. 16 in the preseason coaches’ poll, open the season on Friday against Wagner at home at 11 a.m. Then on Sunday they head to Vermont.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off an 8-9 season in 2024 and they have another grueling schedule this season.
Rutgers faces five of the top 10 teams in the preseason poll throughout the season and 10 of the top 18 overall.
In the preseason poll, RU is one of seven ranked Big Ten squads, with just two teams in the conference being unranked in the preseason. Over half of Rutgers’ regular season games come against teams ranked in the preseason.
Three of the reason for optimism is the return of Paulina Niklaus, Anna Cogdell and Puck Winter as all were on the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
“I’m excited about this season,” Niklaus said in a press release. “We have a lot of new people and they’ve already done a great job fitting into the team and their roles. As a captain, it’s important to help the younger players find their role and help them get through the season.”
Niklaus returns to the squad after an All-America campaign last year.
She was a Third Team All-America, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-Region and All-Big Ten Tournament team selection last season.
It was her second straight season as an all-conference and all-region selection, and she has scored 10 goals and seven assists in 34 career starts.
Cogdell returns for her sophomore campaign after being recognized on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in her debut campaign.
She started all 17 games at midfield, had two goals and an assist, and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after the team’s win over Iowa.
Winter returns for her fourth season as a Scarlet Knight as the program’s all-time leader in defensive saves, posting 25 in her career after leading the NCAA in 2023 (with 12) and 2024 (with nine) and stands at ninth all-time in NCAA history in the stat.
Winter is a two-time All-Big Ten and three-time All-Region player, and the back was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Across 55 career starts she also has scored 12 goals.
Rutgers will be captained by a pair of experienced veterans in NiklausandVicky Jure.
Jure boasts 55 career games played at RU, with 29 starts across the midfield. She has 12 career points (two goals, eight assists) and was the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree last season.
The Scarlet Knights bring in a talented group of seven freshmen.
This includes a host of talented players from overseas seeking to continue RU’s strong history of international players in Martha Goodridge, Olivia de Zwaan and Julia Vinas Nieto.
Supplementing the group are Lyla Rehill, Krista Lilienthal, Samantha Arnold, Camryn Johnson and Shivya Desai.
“It’s exciting to have all the new players,”Cogdellsaid. “I’m super excited to play with all the girls on this team. Because we are so close off the field, we work really hard for each other on the field. One big strength is that we have some really experienced players and I can’t wait to play with them all.”
Meredith Civico is beginning her 14th season with the Scarlet Knights and has taken the program to new heights and this should be another season they challenge for conference and national titles
