PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-3) returns home to host No. 16 James Madison (4-1) on Saturday at SHI Stadium. The 1 p.m. game will steam live via BTNPlus/Fox Sports App, with Pat Boyle on the call.
Five of the Scarlet Knights' next six games come against teams ranked in the latest
IWLCA Coaches' Poll, which includes the No. 16 Dukes, No.10 Maryland (March 14), No.13 Michigan (March 20), No. 21 Penn State (March 26) and No. 7 Northwestern (April 3). RU has also faced No. 12 UPenn during the tough slate.
What to Know
• Despite hat tricks from senior captain
Samantha Budd and rookie
Cassidy Spilis, Rutgers suffered a 16-12 road loss to Monmouth on Wednesday in its last time out. Tied 12-12 with 7:30 left in the game, the Hawks used a 4-0 scoring run to secure their first win over the Scarlet Knights in their last four meetings.
• Spilis' three goals marked the fifth time she has scored three or more goals this season and her seventh multi-goal outing to begin her career. For Budd, it was her third hat trick of 2020.
• Through seven games, Spilis leads the Big Ten Conference and is 12
th nationally with 22 goals. Junior
Taralyn Naslonski is fourth in the Big Ten and 27
th in the country with 19 goals.
• Rookie goalkeeper
Alonna Gliksman recorded 12 saves in the loss at Monmouth, marking the fourth time she has collected double-digit stops in between the pipes. Gliksman is Top-30 in the country in saves (seventh, 74), saves per game (20
th, 10.57), save percentage (27
th, .490).
• Sophomore
Marin Hartshorn, who had two helpers in Rutgers' last time out, is third in the conference and No. 23 overall with 12 assists.
Scouting James Madison
• The Dukes enter Saturday's game after they defeated No. 21 Penn State, 16-6, on Wednesday in Harrisonburg. Three players recorded hat tricks and Molly Dougherty provided a huge boost in cage to lift JMU over the Nittany Lions.
• Isabella Peterson leads the team with 16 points and 13 goals, while Logan Brennan has contributed a team-high seven assists.
• James Madison has been dominate on the restart this season, owning a 68-43 advantage in draw controls through its first five games. In cage, Dougherty is the goalie of record with 44 stops, a .494 save percentage and a 9.04 goals-against average.
• The Dukes are led by 14
th-year head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe.
Series History
• Rutgers is 2-6 all-time against James Madison, as the teams have met in the past six seasons. The Scarlet Knights dropped a tight 10-7 contest to then-No. 7 JMU last season in Harrisonburg, where Naslonski netted a hat trick and added a game-tying goal late in the second half before the Dukes used a 3-0 scoring run in the final eight minutes to put the game away. RU last defeated James Madison in 2017 on the road.
Up Next
Rutgers hosts Lafayette for a 6 p.m. game under the lights on Tuesday, March 10.
