No. 22 Rutgers women's lacrosse prepares for pivotal games against No. 23 Princeton, Oregon
The Rutgers women's lacrosse team is preparing for games against Princeton and Oregon this week. The Scarlet Knights (4-0, 0-0) will aim to stay unbeaten and build on their current winning streak.
No. 22 Rutgers has moved up in the IWLCA Poll after being ranked at No. 24 last week. The Knights secured a 16-9 win over Army on Saturday at SHI Stadium on Busch campus.
Sophomore attacker and midfielder Lily Dixon scored a career-high 6 points against the Black Knights (0-4, 0-0) to help Rutgers get the win. Graduate student midfielder Cassidy Spilis tacked on 5 goals of her own for the Knights.
On Wednesday, Rutgers will stay in state and travel down to Princeton to take on the Tigers (1-1, 0-0). No. 23 Princeton defeated Penn State 18-13 on Saturday.
The Knights and Tigers met last season in Piscataway, where Rutgers was defeated 18-12. The Knights have had just three victories in nine contests against Princeton since the rivalry competition started in 2007.
The two teams hadn't faced each other since 2014 until last season when the Tigers managed to prevail.
Against the Nittany Lions (2-2, 0-0) on Saturday, Princeton's McKenzie Blake scored a game-high 5 goals. Blake is a player to watch, as she should continue to play a vital role in her team's attack.
Jami MacDonald is another Tiger to keep an eye on as she has tallied 10 points for Princeton with 4 goals scored. MacDonald also leads the team with 6 assists.
With their season still in its early stages, the Tigers have a lot of potential to perform on the field. The rivalry matchup will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Sherrerd Field and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
Following Rutgers' game against Princeton, the Knights will meet with the Ducks (3-0, 0-0) for the first time in the program's history. Oregon plays two New Jersey opponents this week, starting with a Friday afternoon game at Rider University.
With a perfect record going into this week's games, the Ducks are having one of their greatest season starts since 2018. Following a 16-9 victory over Marist, Oregon has now won three straight games.
With 14 goals this season and 17 points overall, Anna Simmons leads the Ducks. In Sunday's game, Simmons and Morgan McCarthy combined for 10 goals, scoring 5 apiece.
Rachel Pallo obtained 12 draw controls, breaking the program record for most draw controls in a single game.
Oregon has notched 52 goals this season, with 110 shots and a 47.3 shot percentage. The Knights total slightly more goals than the Ducks, with 60 goals from their four games, 141 shots and a 42.6 shot percentage.
Rutgers and Oregon each have a game before meeting with one another on Sunday. If the two can both win, one team will remain undefeated this season.
The Knights and the Ducks will begin their competition at noon on Sunday at SHI Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on X.
