Guillermina Causarano nets hat trick as No. 7 Rutgers field hockey earns 9th straight win
The Rutgers field hockey team remains undefeated this season after the Scarlet Knights (9-0, 1-0) beat UMass 4-2 earlier today.
The match got off to a quick start with the Minutewomen (6-4, 2-0) scoring a goal within the first minute of play. Mali Herberhold got her shot past redshirt junior goalkeeper Sophia Howard, giving No. 18 UMass a 1-0 lead in the first period of play.
Despite nearly 13 minutes passing with no goals, No. 7 Rutgers got on the board before the first period ended. Redshirt sophomore forward Indy van Ek netted her 1st goal of the year, tying up the game at 1-1.
The Knights took the lead over the Minutewomen only 38 seconds after van Ek's goal off a shot from junior midfielder Guillermina Causarano. The first period came to a close, with Rutgers leading 2-1.
Halfway into the second period, Causarano scored again, giving the Knights a 3-1 lead and herself a multi-goal game.
The rest of the first half played out with no goals from either team, giving Rutgers a 3-1 lead heading into halftime.
Both teams were kept quiet in a defensive third period.
The final period was adorned with a third goal from Causarano, her first hat trick of the season and the first of her collegiate career. The score was 4-1 in favor of the Knights.
UMass was given one final chance to get another goal on the board at the end of the last quarter from a penalty stroke. Jess Beech netted the goal for the Minutewomen, cutting their deficit in half. But it was too little too late as Rutgers earned its ninth straight victory and its first-ever win against UMass.
The Knights have kept an undefeated record in the 2023 season and are moving up in the rankings. This ninth win gives Rutgers its first 9-0 start to a season in program history and marks its fourth-ranked win of the season.
The Knights will be back on the Banks next week when they face off against their second conference opponent, No. 8 Maryland, on Thursday. The match will take place at 3 p.m. at the Bauer Track and Field Complex on Livingston campus.
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