Maryland - Rutgers Field Hockey: How to watch, preview, and more

WHO: Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Maryland Terrapins

WHAT: Field hockey B1G Conference game

WHERE: Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, College Park, MD

WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 1:00 pm

STREAM: BTN2GO.com

The end of field hockey's regular season is in sight. Only four games remain for both the home standing Maryland Terrapins and the visiting Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Sunday's game marks the first of three remaining conference games for each. While the Terps are all but assured of an NCAA Tournament bid, the Scarlet Knights likely will have to win the Big Ten Tournament to get their bid.

When they come to College Park, Rutgers will have the daunting task of facing a Maryland team whose offense has been speeding along like the Roadrunner while the opposition has resembled Wile E. Coyote. Maryland is one of only three teams in the country to have at least ten players who have scored two or more goals. By contrast, only nine players on Rutgers' roster have scored. The Terps have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 17-1 and in their seven consecutive wins since losing at Northwestern Maryland has a cumulative 36-6 scoring edge.

Scarlet Knights on the turf

2013

Like Maryland, Rutgers is playing their first season in the Big Ten so it's a bit difficult to contextualize a comparison of last season and this season. Rutgers finished 9-9 overall and 2-5 in the Big East where their competition included eventual national champion Connecticut as well as solid to top tier programs Louisville, Old Dominion and Temple. Their .500 finish was the first time they reached that mark since 2008.

2014

Thus far, the Scarlet Knights have had another middling season. They stand at 6-8 and 1-4 in B1G play. After beating New Hampshire and picking up their lone conference win against Ohio State, the Scarlet Knights have dropped two straight with their most recent loss coming in a 3-0 decision to Penn State Friday afternoon.

As a team, Rutgers scores slightly less than two goals per game entering the game with a 1.93 average. Defensively, they yield 2.57 goals per game. They've generally managed to stay in games in the first half scoring 18 goals while conceding 19, but have been much less effective in the second half where they have a seven goal deficit on the season.

The season has likely been a disappointing one for the Scarlet Knights. Though they returned their top four scorers from 2013, only one has improved on her efforts from last season.

Sophomore goalie Shevaun Hayes, who started six games as a freshman and yielded only 1.67 goal per game has not played as effectively as a sophomore. Her goals against average is up and her save percentage is down.

Players to watch

Katie Chapman, #4, junior, forward. Chapman is the one player who has stepped forward for Rutgers. After scoring four goals with one assist as a sophomore, she leads the team in goals with eight and points with twenty-one. Her five assists are second on the team.

Sophia Walia, #5, sophomore, back. With six goals and a team leading six assists, Walia is the second leading scorer for the Scarlet Knights. That she has scored so much and is listed as a back indicates that she is likely a primary focus on penalty corners. However, Rutgers only generates an average of five penalty corners per game.

History

Although they didn't face each other in 2013, the teams had the most recent of their 29 previous meetings in 2012 in College Park. Behind two goals from Megan Frazer and one from Janessa Pope, the Terps came away with a 3-1 win. In all, Maryland dominates the series holding a 25-3-1 advantage. The Scarlet Knights last won in 1998 and the lone tie came in 1979.

Final Thoughts

With their 2-1 win over Northwestern Friday night, the Michigan Wolverines have moved into first place in the conference standings. With a win Sunday, the Terps can move into a tie for the conference lead. In fact, the win by the Wolverines puts Maryland in a position to do no worse than tie for the conference championship should the Terps win their three remaining conference games. That quest begins Sunday.