Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Bauer Track & Field Complex Hospital Rd Piscataway, NJ 08854
Year Opened: 1996
Capacity: 1,500 (estimated)
Field Hockey Knight at Rutgers
The Rutgers University Scarlet Knights field hockey program plays their home matches at the Bauer Track & Field Complex on their campus in Piscataway, New Jersey. The stadium opened in 1996 and, as the name would suggest, is home to Scarlet Knights track & field in addition to the field hockey team.
Rutgers field hockey has qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times, but has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.
Food & Beverage 0
There is no food or drink for sale at Rutgers field hockey games, but fans are free to bring their own.
Atmosphere 4
The Bauer Track & Field Complex has one large set of bleachers that run along one sideline. A running track separates the field from the seating area, and the front row of the bleachers is a good distance from the edge of the track, so fans in the bleachers will be further away from the action than is ideal. A scoreboard to the right of the field shows the shots and penalty corners for each team in addition to the score and clock. It also shows the current half, but as field hockey has used quarters for several years, this is not as useful as you might think.
the atmosphere here is more exciting than a typical college field hockey match. Before Rutgers penalty corners, music, typically the intro trumpet solo from "Narco" will play to get fans fired up for the big play. After goals, celebration music plays.
One minor but significant point is that the PA announcer will announce the results of video reviews, including whether a call stands (i.e. video evidence is inconclusive) or is confirmed (i.e. video evidence conclusively shows the call on the field was correct.) This is not an insignificant difference in field hockey, as the former results in the team retaining their challenge and the latter does not.
The Rutgers mascot, who appropriately is a costumed knight who wears scarlet, has been known to make an appearance at Rutgers field hockey matches. He will roam the stands interacting with fans and occasionally getting into mischief such as switching people's hats around.
Neighborhood 5
Piscataway is a sleepy college town in northern New Jersey and you will find a few options here such as Henry’s Diner near the basketball arena and some of the best pizza places in the country. No reason to get Pizza Hut or Papa John’s here (unless you're stuck in the stadium and have the former forced upon you), it’s far better to pick up a real Jersey slice.
Fans may also be interested in grabbing a Fat Sandwich from R U Hungry at the corner of Hamilton Street and College Avenue in New Brunswick. While the grease trucks serving these legendary sandwiches once dotted Rutgers’ College Avenue campus and they were thought of as the school’s quintessential food, most of these trucks have been shut down as the university constructed new buildings, relocated the trucks, and ultimately declined to renew their permits.
R U Hungry, which was the original fat sandwich vendor, now serves them out of a more traditional storefront location. Fat sandwiches consist of sub rolls topped with seemingly random combinations of toppings. The original Fat Cat has a double cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato, French fries, mayo, and ketchup, and the combinations just get weirder from there.
For example, the Fat Elvis comes with gyro meat, mozzarella sticks, lettuce, tomato, French fries, and white sauce, certainly a bizarre combination. There are many others with fun names such as the Fat Darrell, the Fat Koko, and at least one whose name violates the editorial standards of this website. As you can probably guess by the name, these sandwiches are loaded with calories and are not for the faint of heart (figuratively or literally.) Knights Express and Giovanelli's also sell fat sandwiches with similar menus.,
Fans 5
Rutgers draws quite well for field hockey, averaging about 500 fans a game and sometimes getting close to a thousand, which is very good for college field hockey. These fans are passionate and loud, cheer on big plays, and are not afraid to yell at the referees when they feel they have made an incorrect call.
Many of those in attendance are friends and family of the players, but there will also be Rutgers students and some locals looking to cheer on the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers ranked fourth in the nation in attendance in 2023, so this is truly a great fan base that you don't often see in field hockey. There will often be a sizeable contingent of visiting fans as well, especially if Rutgers is playing a nearby school.
Access 3
Just getting to the Rutgers campus can be confusing. For starters, “the” Rutgers campus is misleading as Rutgers University has five separate campuses in Piscataway and New Brunswick – College Avenue, Busch, Livingston, Cook, and Douglass. (These should not be confused with the two regional campuses in Camden and Newark, which are completely separate institutions.)
The Bauer Track & Field Complex is located on the Livingston campus, across Hospital Road from Jersey Mike's Arena and right next door to Bainton Field, home of Rutgers baseball. Free parking is available in the Yellow or Green lots next to Jersey Mike's arena, although you will need to register your car and license plate through the Rutgers athletic website to avoid receiving a ticket.
You only need to do this once per season, and if you forget to do it before you leave, there is a QR code you can scan to do so on your phone at the entrance to the stadium. Note that registration is sport-specific and does not carry over from season to season.
There are no real restrooms at the complex, but there are a large number of Port-a-potties by the entrance which should be sufficient for the crowds. Keep in mind these are on the opposite side of the field from the bleachers, so it may take a few minutes to walk over there.
Return on Investment 5
Admission to Rutgers field hockey games is free, with the exception of Big 10 and NCAA Tournament games, which have a separate pricing model determined by those respective entities. Parking is also free, and you won't spend anything on concessions because there aren't any. Given the quality of the facility, a Rutgers field hockey game is a great value.
Extras 2
Look below the scoreboard for signage honoring Rutgers' NCAA Tournament appearances as well as its two retired numbers - number 4 for Liz McGuire and number 5 for Regina Alonzo. Each of those are worthy of an extra star here.
Final Thoughts
Rutgers field hockey plays at a high-quality facility and has a strong fan base that comes out and supports the team. Fans of the sport will definitely want to head to the Bauer Track & Field Complex to check out a Scarlet Knights game.
Comments