Sunday, March 20
College Park, Md.
Noon
Rutgers University
at
Maryland
No 12 Women's Lacrosse Readies for Undefeated Road Showdown with No. 4 Maryland
Mar 18 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 12 Rutgers women's lacrosse (8-0) faces No. 4 Maryland (6-0) in a battle of unbeatens to open Big Ten Conference play on Sunday afternoon in College Park. First draw is set for noon ET and will broadcast nationally on ESPNU, with Leah Secondo and Rachael DeCecco on the call.
Last Time Out
Behind dominant play on both sides of the field, the Scarlet Knights defeated No. 21 James Madison, 12-5, last Sunday in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The victory was RU's second consecutive ranked road win and continued the program's best start to a season in program history at 8-0.
Rutgers' defense held the Dukes to a season-low five goals and just one score in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello stopped nine shots for her seventh win of the season. Junior defender Jessica Beneducci caused two turnovers to lead the team, as the Scarlet Knights' defense forced James Madison into 20 turnovers on the afternoon.
RU was also strong on the draw with a 14-7 advantage in that category over the Dukes. Junior Meghan Ball muscled a game-high six, while classmate Cassidy Spilis added five.
Spilis produced another all-around game for the Scarlet Knights, as she scored a game-high five goals to go along with five draw controls, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Graduate students Stephanie Kelly and Taralyn Naslonski registered two goals and two assists apiece. Junior Ashley Campo added two assists, while sophomores Kate Carolonza and Ashley Moynahan each contributed a goal.
In the Rankings
With its back-to-back ranked road wins over No. 18 Temple and No. 21 James Madison, Rutgers moved to No. 12 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll, its highest rank in program history. The Big Ten features five ranked programs - No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Northwestern, No. 10 Michigan, No. 12 Rutgers and No. 18 Johns Hopkins. Penn State also received votes in the poll.
Cardello Earns Weekly Laurels
sophomore Sophia Cardello was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, announced Tuesday by the conference. Cardello earned the third consecutive defensive weekly award for the Scarlet Knights after junior Meghan Ball collected back-to-back laurels. Graduate student Stephanie Kelly also earned Big Ten weekly honors last month.
Cardello registered two wins in cage for RU during its back-to-back ranked road victories over No. 18 Temple (3/9) and No. 21 James Madison (3/13), as she combined for 15 saves this past week. Cardello has helped Rutgers to its best start in program history at 8-0 and its highest ranking in the Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA Coaches Poll at No. 12 in the country.
Naslonski Approaches All-Time Records
With 212 career points and 151 career goals, graduate student Taralyn Naslonski is third all-time at Rutgers in both categories. Naslonski need five points to pass Katie Batiuk for second on the all-time list and 10 goals to pass her for second in career goals.
Scouting Maryland
Maryland moved to 6-0 on the season with a 19-7 win over Villanova last Sunday in its last time out. Aurora Cordingley had a career-day with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the win, earning her IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The Terrapins own the nation's second-best scoring defense (7.17) and third-ranked scoring offense (18.0) through their first six games of the 2022 campaign. Cordingley leads the team and is fifth nationally with 46 points on 27 goals and 19 assists. Goalkeeper Emily Sterling is fourth in the nation with a 7.53 goals-against average to lead UMD's defensive effort.
Series vs. Maryland
Maryland leads the all-time series, 21-1. Rutgers won its first game in the series last spring, when it defeated the then-No. 11 Terrapins, 16-14, on April 18, 2021 in Piscataway.
Up Next
Rutgers returns home to host No. 18 Johns Hopkins on Saturday, March 26 at SHI Stadium. First draw is set for 5 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
Behind dominant play on both sides of the field, the Scarlet Knights defeated No. 21 James Madison, 12-5, last Sunday in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The victory was RU's second consecutive ranked road win and continued the program's best start to a season in program history at 8-0.
Rutgers' defense held the Dukes to a season-low five goals and just one score in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello stopped nine shots for her seventh win of the season. Junior defender Jessica Beneducci caused two turnovers to lead the team, as the Scarlet Knights' defense forced James Madison into 20 turnovers on the afternoon.
RU was also strong on the draw with a 14-7 advantage in that category over the Dukes. Junior Meghan Ball muscled a game-high six, while classmate Cassidy Spilis added five.
Spilis produced another all-around game for the Scarlet Knights, as she scored a game-high five goals to go along with five draw controls, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Graduate students Stephanie Kelly and Taralyn Naslonski registered two goals and two assists apiece. Junior Ashley Campo added two assists, while sophomores Kate Carolonza and Ashley Moynahan each contributed a goal.
In the Rankings
With its back-to-back ranked road wins over No. 18 Temple and No. 21 James Madison, Rutgers moved to No. 12 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll, its highest rank in program history. The Big Ten features five ranked programs - No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Northwestern, No. 10 Michigan, No. 12 Rutgers and No. 18 Johns Hopkins. Penn State also received votes in the poll.
Cardello Earns Weekly Laurels
sophomore Sophia Cardello was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, announced Tuesday by the conference. Cardello earned the third consecutive defensive weekly award for the Scarlet Knights after junior Meghan Ball collected back-to-back laurels. Graduate student Stephanie Kelly also earned Big Ten weekly honors last month.
Cardello registered two wins in cage for RU during its back-to-back ranked road victories over No. 18 Temple (3/9) and No. 21 James Madison (3/13), as she combined for 15 saves this past week. Cardello has helped Rutgers to its best start in program history at 8-0 and its highest ranking in the Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA Coaches Poll at No. 12 in the country.
Naslonski Approaches All-Time Records
With 212 career points and 151 career goals, graduate student Taralyn Naslonski is third all-time at Rutgers in both categories. Naslonski need five points to pass Katie Batiuk for second on the all-time list and 10 goals to pass her for second in career goals.
| Career Points | Total |
| 1. Denise Reed (1987-90) | 232 |
| 2. Katie Batiuk (2004-07) | 216 |
| 3. Taralyn Naslonski (2018-Present) | 212 |
| Career Goals | Total |
| 1. Heather Jones (1991-94) | 173 |
| 2. Katie Batiuk (2004-07) | 160 |
| 3. Taralyn Naslonski (2018-Present) | 151 |
Scouting Maryland
Maryland moved to 6-0 on the season with a 19-7 win over Villanova last Sunday in its last time out. Aurora Cordingley had a career-day with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the win, earning her IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The Terrapins own the nation's second-best scoring defense (7.17) and third-ranked scoring offense (18.0) through their first six games of the 2022 campaign. Cordingley leads the team and is fifth nationally with 46 points on 27 goals and 19 assists. Goalkeeper Emily Sterling is fourth in the nation with a 7.53 goals-against average to lead UMD's defensive effort.
Series vs. Maryland
Maryland leads the all-time series, 21-1. Rutgers won its first game in the series last spring, when it defeated the then-No. 11 Terrapins, 16-14, on April 18, 2021 in Piscataway.
Up Next
Rutgers returns home to host No. 18 Johns Hopkins on Saturday, March 26 at SHI Stadium. First draw is set for 5 p.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
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