PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 24 Rutgers women's lacrosse (1-1) hosts No. 19 Ohio State (1-1) for two games this weekend at SHI Stadium. The Scarlet Knights face the Buckeyes on Friday at 3 p.m. ET and on Sunday at noon, with both games set to stream via BTNPlus.
• In accordance with the executive order issued by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday, Rutgers Athletics will increase spectator capacity at its venues effective immediately. Two parents or guardians of each student-athlete will be permitted to attend sporting events held on campus, while the total number of spectators are not to exceed 35 percent of the venue's total capacity.
• Parking for 2021 women's lacrosse home games is free for approved guests, but visitors must register their vehicle with the University through this
link. Visitors only need to register their vehicle once for the entire season. Parking for 2021 home games is located in the Scarlet Lot outside the West entrance of SHI Stadium.
• Rutgers picked up a signature victory as it defeated Johns Hopkins, 13-10, on Sunday in Baltimore. The win marked the first for the Scarlet Knights in the series history, as head coach
Melissa Lehman earned her first Big Ten Conference victory as head coach since taking over the program last season.
• Down three at halftime, RU closed out the game on an 8-2 scoring run to earn their first victory over the Blue Jays, who entered with a 5-0 lead in the all-time series. Sophomore
Cassidy Spilis recorded a career-high eight points on seven goals and an assist, which included four goals in the second half.
• For the first time in nine seasons, Rutgers is ranked in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, debuting at No. 24 in Monday afternoon's rankings.
• It marks the first time RU earned recognition in the IWLCA Coaches Poll since March 26, 2013, when it was ranked No. 20.
• Rutgers is now one of six Big Ten programs ranked by the IWLCA, joining No. 4 Northwestern, No. 7 Penn State, No. 10 Maryland, No. 17 Michigan and No. 19 Ohio State.
• Through two games, Spilis has accounted for 13 points on 11 goals and two assists. Here 11 goals ranks 13th nationally and second in the Big Ten Conference. Spilis also owns the top shooting percentage in the conference with a .917 mark, which includes a perfect seven-for-seven shooting performance on Sunday at JHU.
• With her three helpers on Sunday,
Jenna Byrne is third in the conference with three assists.
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Alonna Gliksman: Needs three saves to join the 100-save club (97 total)
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Taralyn Naslonski: Needs 12 goals to join the 100-goal club (88 total)
• The Buckeyes are 1-1 to begin the 2021 season, which includes a 15-12 win over then-No. 9 Michigan on Sunday in Columbus.
• After she produced a game-high six goals and seven points in the win over the Wolverines, Liza Hernandez was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Through two games, Hernandez leads the team with 10 goals.
• Jillian Rizzo owns a .341 save percentage and an 18.16 GAA through two games. She stopped 13 shots against Michigan to earn the win.
• Ohio State leads the all-time series, 5-4, which includes an 11-7 victory over the Scarlet Knights on April 20, 2019 in their last meeting. Rutgers last defeated the Buckeyes during the 2017 season, a 15-5 victory in Piscataway.
The Scarlet Knights head to No. 17 Michigan for games on Friday, March 5 and Sunday, March 7 in Ann Arbor.
