PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse hits the road, traveling to Columbus for a conference matchup with Ohio State on Friday at 1 p.m. The game, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved due to inclement weather affecting the region. The Big Ten Conference game will stream live via Buckeye Vision.
Last Time Out
Senior captain
Kerri Puckhaber and freshman
Taralyn Naslonski posted hat tricks, but the Scarlet Knights suffered an 18-13 loss to then-No. 17 Penn State last Saturday afternoon at High Point Solutions Stadium. Despite RU outshooting its opponent and outscoring PSU in the second half, the Nittany Lions were able to leave Piscataway with a win.
Senior
Joanna Reilly contributed multiple goals off the bench, while five others found the back of the cage during the first conference game of the season. Four Scarlet Knights caused multiple turnovers, while redshirt junior
Christine DiLullo produced a team-high three ground balls. Senior
Paige Paratore led the way with six draw controls, while junior
Regina Sharp muscled five.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter Friday's game after they dropped a 9-7 road loss at Michigan last Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Through eight games, Baley Parrott leads the team with 25 points and 23 goals. Sara Dickinson has dished out a team-high 12 assists. Jill Rizzo has started all eight games for Ohio State in cage and owns a 12.06 GAA and 90 saves in 2018.
The Series
Rutgers leads the all-time series against Ohio State, 4-3, which includes wins in the schools' last three meetings.
In their last meeting, five players scored multiple goals to help the Scarlet Knights defeat Ohio State, 15-5, last season at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Samantha Budd recorded a hat trick in the victory, the first of her career. Paratore also contributed two goals as RU outshot the Buckeyes, 36-21.
Bianca Dente recorded nine saves in the win and RU forced 17 OSU turnovers.
Stacking Up Against the Big Ten
Puckhaber (seventh, 2.25 GPG) and Budd (10th, 2.11 GPG) rank within the top-10 of individual goal scorers in the Big Ten. Junior
Abbey Brooks is fifth in the Big Ten with 1.22 assists per game, while Puckhaber is seventh with 3.00 points per game.
On defense, Sharp is third in the Big Ten with 2.44 ground balls per game, while junior
Devon Kearns is fourth in saves per game with 7.33. Budd is seventh in draw controls with 3.8 per contest.
Tough 2018 Schedule
Rutgers possesses one of the toughest schedules in the country and has already been put to the test midway through the season.
The Scarlet Knights have played No. 4 James Madison, No. 8 Penn and No. 18 Penn State this season, and are set to compete against No. 2 Maryland, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 21 Cornell and No. 22 Johns Hopkins in 2018. Maryland, James Madison and Penn are currently undefeated.
Puckhaber Filling the Stat Sheet
Puckhaber has produced six multi-goal outings this season, the most for RU in 2018. Puckhaber has secured back-to-back hat tricks, which included a five-point, three-goal outing on March 17 against No. 17 Penn State.
Next Time Out
Rutgers returns homes to host Niagara on Tuesday, March 27 for a 7 p.m. game at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers women's lacrosse, follow the program Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram @RULaxBrand. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with
www.ScarletKnights.com.
