With all the major fall sports in action and several others beginning play, I wanted to start a new weekly series, which will bring Rutgers fans all the news and schedules from around Scarlet Knights athletics in one convenient location. This week will be a busy one with men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and volleyball in action, with Rutgers football set for its Big Ten opener against Iowa on Friday night.
Starting with events that have taken place already, the men’s golf team took part in their
second tournament of the season at the Canadian Classic from September 12th through September 14th. Freshman Lucas Politano made headlines for his runner-up finish, setting a program record with a total of 198 and 18 under par, which was just one stroke behind the champion, Notre Dame’s Calen Sanderson. The team finished fourth overall out of eleven teams, with a score of eleven under par, while Luke Koenig and Bennett Espenshade also finished in the top twenty.
Rutgers men’s basketball had an open practice to the media yesterday, followed by Steve Pikiell speaking to the press afterwards. Andrew recapped Pikiell’s media availability earlier today, with Pikiell discussing how President Tate and AD Keli Zinn have helped his program, his offseason acquisitions, early practices, and this team returning to the defensive identities of Rutgers teams past. The program will also be releasing its season schedule tomorrow, with this season being the 50th anniversary of the 1975-76 Final Four team.
Men’s golf is off to a strong start, with Jeffrey Zatorksi being named the Big Ten Golfer Of The Week after winning the Gopher Invitational in Minnesota. The team will next be in action at the Marquette Intercollegiate in Milwaukee from October 5th to October 7th.
Women’s tennis will play its first tournament of the season at the Bulldog Invitational from September 19th-21st on Yale’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut. Rutgers will be looking to rebound from a dismal 2024-25 campaign in which they went 7-14 and just 1-12 in the Big Ten.
Women’s soccer will travel to Minnesota to battle the Golden Gophers on Thursday at 8 PM Eastern. The Scarlet Knights last tied Michigan State 1-1 at Yurcak Field this past Friday and have drawn their last four matches, with an overall record of 2-0-4. Minnesota is 4-2-1 on the season so far and is coming off a 2-2 draw with Nebraska. The team will return to the Banks on Sunday, with a home game against Indiana set for Sunday at 1 PM.
Men’s soccer will also be on the road this week, battling the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston at 7:30 PM Eastern on Friday night. The Scarlet Knights are 4-1-1 on the season, with a 1-0 win against Penn State to open Big Play this past Friday. Northwestern is 4-2-1 with a 1-0 loss to UCLA to open Big Ten play, followed by a 3-2 win over UC Riverside on Monday.
Field hockey will have two home games this weekend, hosting New Hampshire on Friday and #18 Monmouth on Sunday, with both games starting at noon. The Scarlet Knights are ranked #17 in the latest poll after splitting a pair of games against ranked opponents, with a 3-2 overtime win at #16 UConn and a 1-0 home loss against #11 Princeton.
Puck Winter was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, making a key defensive save against Princeton and scoring the game-winning goal to put the Scarlet Knights over the Huskies. Meanwhile, goaltender Emily Nicholls was named the Big Ten Freshman Of The Week after making six saves against UConn and 13 against Princeton, including a diving save on a penalty shot that kept the game scoreless and sent it to overtime.
Nicholls’ 13 saves were the most by a Rutgers goalkeeper in 10 years, and she leads the Big Ten with 39 saves, which is 13 more than second place. Her 86.4% save percentage also ranks second in the conference and fourth in the country. This award was her second Big Ten Weekly accolade, after she was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on September 2nd.
Volleyball will head to Fairfax, Virginia, for its final road nonconference weekend of the season, with matches against Coppin State on Friday and host George Mason on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights are a resounding 7-2 on the season and riding a six-game win streak after back-to-back sweeps at the Sacred Heart Invite and their home invite at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The six-game win streak is the team’s longest since 2019 and includes match sweeps in five of the six contests, as well as all three at home. Following this weekend’s games, volleyball will host Columbia on Tuesday before traveling to #8 Wisconsin and #11 Minnesota to kick off Big Ten play.
And of course, Rutgers football will host Iowa in the blackout game this Friday night. Kickoff is at 8 PM, with the game being nationally broadcast on FOX. Fans are encouraged to wear black and be in their seats by 7:30 to participate in the “Light Up The Knight” pregame light show, using their phones and the Scarlet Knights app to create an interactive light display across SHI Stadium.
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