UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite a career-high nine goals from sophomore Cassidy Spilis and a considerable advantage on the draw, No. 16 Rutgers women's lacrosse (6-8) dropped a 24-14 matchup to No. 2 Northwestern (12-0) on Friday night in the Big Ten Semifinals. The Scarlet Knights pushed the Wildcats throughout the contest, which included a three-goal run to tie the game at 11 in the second half, but the No. 1 seeded Wildcats – who entered the tournament with the nation's top-ranked scoring offense –  closed out its win with a 13-3 scoring run.
 
Spilis spread out her career scoring mark with five goals in the first half and four in the second, as the Tabernacle, New Jersey, native produced the most goals in a single game since Samantha Budd netted eight two seasons ago in a win at Lafayette. Her season-high nine draw controls helped the Scarlet Knights to a 24-16 win in 50/50 balls, as junior captain Marin Hartshorn secured eight and sophomore Meghan Ball added seven.

The loss capped a strong showing for Rutgers at the Big Ten Tournament after it defeated No. 23 Ohio State 19-13 in Thursday night's quarterfinals. Under the guidance of second-year head coach Melissa Lehman, the Scarlet Knights have picked up five wins over ranked opponents and six Big Ten wins - which include the program's first-ever victories over Johns Hopkins, Maryland and Penn State.

"We talked about coming out strong and battling for 60 minutes, so I was proud of the effort we had," Lehman said. "We did a nice job on the draw and on the attack, but Northwestern just has such a high-powered offense and they showed that once again tonight."
 
Sophomore Jenna Byrne netted three points on two goals and an assist, while classmate Ashley Campo added two goals in the second half. Hartshorn and senior captains Hannah Hollingsworth and Taralyn Naslonski tallied one helper apiece.
 
Rutgers' defense forced Northwestern into 15 turnovers, which included a career-high five caused turnovers from Ball, who also scooped a team-high six ground balls in the loss. Against the country's top offense, rookie goalkeeper Sophia Cardello secured 10 saves, her third consecutive game with 10-plus stops.
 
Spilis scored in the first minute of the game, driving through a host of Northwestern defenders for an early 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded with three goals before the Scarlet Knights countered with a 4-0 scoring run. Byrne, Spilis and sophomore Lauren Ellis netted goals during the streak, as Spilis' third goal made it a 5-4 lead with 20 minutes to play in the first half.
 
Northwestern attempted to pull away with six consecutive goals, but Spilis netted two in the final two minutes to make it just an 11-7 deficit at the half.
 
Spilis fueled another rally out of the locker room, taking a pass from Naslonski two minutes out of halftime for her sixth of the night. Byrne and Campo followed with goals before Spilis' seventh – a free-position attempt – tied the game at 11 all at the 26:28 mark in the second half.
 
NU's impressive offense began to settle in down the stretch with 13 goals in the final 25 minutes of the night. Rutgers would get to as close as three after Campo's second score with 13 minutes left to play, but the Wildcats closed with an 8-1 scoring run their 12th win of the season.
 
With its impressive 2021 resume, Rutgers now waits for a chance at an at-large selection to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Division I women's lacrosse selection show is scheduled for Sunday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.