No. 14 Rutgers women's lacrosse looks toward rivalry match against No. 15 Princeton
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team will look to get back in the win column when it takes on Princeton tonight. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-0) are coming off their first loss of the season after falling 10-5 to Army on Saturday.
No. 14 Rutgers has not played the Tigers (1-1, 0-0) in more than nine years. In the last matchup between the two teams, No. 15 Princeton came out on top by a score of 11-4. The Knights are 3-5 against the Tigers all-time and in their eight games, Rutgers has scored 73 goals against Princeton.
Though the Tigers lost their first game of the season, they rebounded in their second game and defeated Temple in a high-scoring affair. In the victory, McKenzie Blake scored a team-leading 6 goals and Sophia Whiteway netted a hat trick.
Last season, Princeton went 7-0 in its respective conference and won the Ivy League Tournament Championship.
The Tigers were a well-rounded team last season. They averaged a conference-leading 15.15 goals per game and led their conference in ground balls per game and caused turnovers per game.
This season, Princeton averages 25 turnovers per game, which is the fewest in its respective conference. Though the Knights have played two more games than their opponents, they are averaging 20 turnovers per game.
The Tigers save approximately 15.5 goals per game, leading their conference in that regard. Amelia Hughes made an impressive 19 saves in the team’s first win of the season. On the offensive side of the ball, Blake currently leads the team with 8 goals scored from 14 attempted shots.
Rutgers also boasts a strong defense. Senior defender Meghan Ball leads the Knights' backline and leads the nation in caused turnovers per game, averaging 5.25 per game.
Rutgers will need to continue its strong defensive performances and look to junior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello to continue her success between the goalposts this season. Cardello leads the Big Ten with a .571 save percentage and 40 saves.
In attack, the Knights will look to senior midfielder Cassidy Spilis to find the back of the net and senior attacker Jenna Byrne to dish out assists. Spilis leads the team with 16 goals and is the only Rutgers player with double-digit goals this season. Byrne leads the team with eight assists.
The game will be played this evening at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. Face-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network + and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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