No. 14 Rutgers women's lacrosse hosts Penn State in Saturday matinee
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team will host Penn State this Saturday at noon in its penultimate regular-season conference game.
Earlier this week, the Big Ten announced junior midfielder Cassidy Spilis as Midfielder of the Week. Spilis netted seven goals, eight ground balls and an assist in the No. 14 Scarlet Knights (12-3, 2-2) win over Wagner and San Diego State.
Against the Seahawks (5-9, 3-2), the midseason All-American scored a season-high seven points with 6 goals and an assist on April 13. She is Rutgers’ first midfielder to earn a Big Ten weekly accolade this season and earns the second honor of her career. Spilis ranks third in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation this season with 51 goals.
Last time on the draw, the Knights defeated the Aztecs (6-8, 0-0) in their final non-conference matchup 14-4.
Rutgers set the pace early in the match, scoring 7 goals in the first quarter. The team secured an 8-goal lead by the first half and held San Diego State to 1 goal per period. Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello saved nine shots from the Aztecs for her 10th win of the season and 100th save of her career.
The game also saw graduate student attacker Taralyn Naslonski record her 50th goal of the season. This milestone marks the first time two Rutgers players have totaled 50 goals in a single season.
The Nittany Lions (6-7, 0-4) suffered a close defeat against No. 19 Michigan over the weekend, 8-7.
Neither team led the match by more than 1 point in the conference matchup that went into overtime. The Wolverines (10-5, 2-3) scored early in the fourth quarter to give them a 1-goal lead. Penn State scored consecutive goals to send both teams into extra time.
Michigan’s Jill Smith eventually scored the game-ending goal with 1 minute left to secure victory.
The Nittany Lions have dominated the Knights in the teams’ all-time series. The record stands 10-2 in Penn State's favor, with Rutgers winning the last matchup in the 2021 spring season.
The Nittany Lions sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings with a winless record in conference play. In contrast, the Knights are at an even 2-2 with wins against the Wolverines and Johns Hopkins and losses against Maryland and Northwestern.
Saturday’s matchup will test both teams before Rutgers hosts the Big Ten Tournament in May. Live stats will be provided at ScarletKnights.com.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
