No. 19 Rutgers field hockey drops road matchup at No. 12 Syracuse
The Rutgers field hockey team recorded its second loss in a row on the road when the No. 19 Scarlet Knights (7-8, 3-4) met Syracuse in upstate New York today. In four quarters of fast-paced play, Rutgers ended up falling just short to the No. 12 Orange (13-3, 3-2), giving the Knights their second straight loss against a ranked opponent.
Though Rutgers controlled the game in the first half, the team fell after some late-game heroics in the final minutes.
The first quarter, though scoreless, set a relentless pace for the match. The Knights came out with energy and speed, outshooting the Syracuse offense 5-0.
Rutgers opened up the scoring in the second quarter. A penalty corner awarded to the Knights gave the team an opportunity to end the scoring drought. A rebound shot off of the initial stop made by Brooke Borzymowski gave Rutgers the lead and junior back Iris Langejans her 4th goal on the season.
The Knights defenders were able to keep the Orange at bay through the first half, keeping the score at 1-0 going into halftime.
Syracuse battled back quickly coming into the third quarter. A rebound netted by Sabine van den Eijnden evened the score for the home team, putting the team right back into the game.
The Orange offense took the lead for the first time at the back end of the third. A goal by Eefke van den Nieuwenhof gave Syracuse the 2-1 lead.
But Rutgers was quick to respond. With less than 2 minutes in the quarter, sophomore midfielder Lucy Bannatyne tipped in a shot to even up the score at 2-2 going into the final frame.
The home team started fast in the final quarter, scoring quickly and aggressively to get an early 3-2 lead only 55 seconds in.
The Orange tacked onto their lead again in the fourth quarter, making the score 4-2 and stretching their lead over the Knights.
Determined not to give up before time was up, Rutgers managed to get another goal into the net with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. Langejans had a beautiful assist, with freshman midfielder Indy van Ek putting the ball in the net.
Despite their late efforts, the Knights could not get the equalizer to send the game into overtime. The final rested at 4-3, with Syracuse taking the victory.
Rutgers will try its luck next weekend at home where the team hosts No. 5 Penn State in Piscataway.
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