Page 50 - Rutgers Field Hockey 2019

Rutgers Field Hockey Season Preview

After making the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since

1986, this year’s team is determined to build off of that success.

Aug 28, 2019

The 19th ranked Rutgers field hockey team begins its 2019 campaign this Friday at noon at home against
no. 24 Maine. It’s one of eleven scheduled opponents that are ranked in the initial NFCHA Coaches poll this
season. Ten were ranked to end last season, so it certainly will be a challenge for this team to equal or even
surpass the success from a year ago. That being said, this team has embraced that challenge and has
plenty of experience and talent on this season’s roster.

The Scarlet Knights are led by head coach Meredith Civico, who engineered the program’s first NCAA
appearance in 32 years last season, finishing with a 13-6 record. Rutgers did lose its top three scorers from
last season in Daphne Groothuis, Linda van Schaik and Nikki Profita, who accounted for 27 of the team’s 50
goals in 2018. However, they are adding two key players poised to make an impact this fall to go along
with a strong core of returning players.

“I’m really excited about this group. We have a lot of experience returning”,
said Civico. She added, “having Katie Larmour back has been especially
exciting. Clayre Smith as well, who was a transfer and had to sit last year.
Those two players in the lineup, obviously didn’t play last season, but they
have a ton of experience.”

Larmour, a redshirt junior who has almost 30 starts in her career, missed all but
one game last season due to injury. She is excited about being back and
was positive about the team overall. “We looked like a completely different
team in our second scrimmage against Syracuse and that was a big positive
going into this opening weekend.”