PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-4, 0-0) opens Big Ten Conference play by hosting No. 6 Northwestern (5-3) on Thursday night at HighPoint.com Stadium.
 
The Wildcats, who check in at No. 6 in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll, continue a stretch for the Scarlet Knights against ranked opponents. RU faced No. 7 James Madison last weekend, and also compete at No. 17 Johns Hopkins (March 23) and host No. 2 Maryland (March 30) during the tough slate.
 
Promotions and Giveaways
The first 250 fans through the gates will receive a 2019 season women's lacrosse t-shirt.

Last Time Out
Despite a hat trick from sophomore Taralyn Naslonski and a tie score late in the second half, Rutgers dropped a tight 10-7 contest with No. 7 James Madison on Sunday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
With the score tied 7-7 with less than eight minutes to go, the Dukes used a 3-0 scoring run to close out the game. The Scarlet Knights held the reigning NCAA champions under its 13.83 scoring average in the loss, as rookie Kameron Halsall tied her career high with 11 saves. RU also forced 14 JMU turnovers to keep the game close down the stretch.
 
Naslonski netted her team-high sixth hat trick, with all three goals coming in the first half. Junior Samantha Budd added three points on two assists and a score, while senior Allie Ferrara, redshirt junior Dakota Pastore and freshman Marin Hartshorn all added goals.
 
Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern enters Thursday's matchup after it dropped a 22-17 game with No. 1 Boston College last Saturday at Ryan Fieldhouse in Evanston.
 
The Wildcats have faced four ranked foes to begin the season, which includes losses to the No. 1 Eagles, No. 3 UNC and No. 7 Syracuse. NU has also beaten No. 16 Duke in 2019.
 
Northwestern leads the Big Ten Conference in goals-per-game (17.9) and points-per-game (25.1). Lauren Gilbert leads the offense for the Wildcats, ranking third in the league with a 3.00 goal-per-game average.  
 
Series History
Rutgers trails the all-time series with Northwestern, 11-0, which includes a 0-4 record in conference play. Last season, the Scarlet Knights suffered a 19-7 loss to the Wildcats on the road.
 
Naslonski on the National Scene
Naslonski has been one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country through the first six weeks of the season. The Randolph, New Jersey, native is tied for fifth in the NCAA in points with 39, tied for eighth with 26 goals and is tied for 14^th with a 4.85 points-per-game average.
 
Within the B1G
Within the Big Ten, Naslonski is tied for first in goals (26) and points (39) and is tied for fourth in assists (13). Her 3.5 draw controls per game are also tied for ninth with Hartshorn within the league.
 
Up Next
Rutgers hits the road to face Lafayette on Tuesday, March 19 in Easton, Pennsylvania.
 
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