No. 15 Rutgers women's lacrosse prepares for season finale at Ohio State
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team will travel to face Ohio State in its season finale tomorrow night.
The No. 15 Scarlet Knights (13-3, 3-2) recently clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament and can finish as high as third in the Big Ten standings. They currently sit behind regular-season conference title holder Maryland and runner-up Northwestern.
Rutgers will host the Big Ten Tournament at SHI Stadium on Busch campus, and seeding for the top four teams will occur after the final regular-season game.
The Knights remain in the top 15 nationally after their 18-13 win against Penn State on Saturday.
The Senior day victory saw many records broken for the program. Rutgers tied the record for most home wins in a season with nine and achieved the most wins for a single season since 1999.
"It meant a lot to all of us to get this win on Senior Day," said graduate student attacker Stephanie Kelly. "We preached family, heart and love going into this game, and I think that showed defensively, in the middle and on the attack. Those are the games we play our best in."
Five Knights netted hat tricks or more, with a game-high 5 goals coming from junior midfielder Cassidy Spilis. The Midseason All-American and back-to-back Big Ten Midfielder of the Week tied Marilyn Reilly for the third-most goals in a single season. With 5 more, she can secure the program record.
On the opposite end of the field, sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello saved a career-high 18 shots from Penn State. Graduate student attacker Taralyn Naslonski also secured her spot as Rutgers’ all-time leading goal scorer with 174 for her career. She now leads the program in points and goals all time.
In assists, Kelly owns the single-season program record with 35 on the year. The Knights set a record for most goals with 230 as a team in one season.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes (9-6, 2-3) lost their previous game against Johns Hopkins 17-14. Ohio State sits fifth in the Big Ten standings, tied with Michigan at 2-3 in conference play. Nicole Ferrara, the Buckeyes' point leader and New Jersey native, scored four goals in the loss. Their leading scorer, Jamie Lasda, also netted two on the road game.
Rutgers hopes to find a win and tie the new program record with 14 total wins on the season. The match will start at 8 p.m. and will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's lacrosse game, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
