PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 15 Rutgers women's lacrosse (10-2, 2-1) hits the road after a three-game homestand to face No. 3 Northwestern (10-2, 3-0) on Thursday night in Evanston, Illinois. First draw is set for 8:30 p.m. with a national broadcast on BTN. Due to expected inclement weather, the game will take place indoors at Ryan Fieldhouse.

Last Time Out

• RU suffered a 13-12 loss in overtime to Arizona State on Sunday in Piscataway. Tied 12-12 with 57 seconds to go in the first overtime period, ASU's Taylor Pinzone found Carley Adams for the golden goal. The Scarlet Knights led by as many as four goals during the out-of-conference matchup and outshot the visitor 28-20, but the Sun Devils closed the game on a 7-2 scoring run to hold on to the road win.
• Graduate student Taralyn Naslonski tallied a game-high six points on four assists and two goals. Senior Marin Hartshorn (3), graduate student Stephanie Kelly (2), junior Jenna Byrne (2) and junior Ashley Campo (2) all added multiple goals in the loss, with Hartshorn's three marking her fourth hat trick of the season.
• Junior midseason All-America selection Meghan Ball caused a game-high five turnovers to go along with five draw controls and three ground balls. Junior Jessica Beneducci and rookie Madison Karpe each added five ground balls on the defensive side of the field.

In the Rankings

• Rutgers moved to No. 14 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Top 20 and moved back one spot to No. 15 in this week's ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll. Five Big Ten programs - No. 3 Northwestern, No. 9 Maryland, No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Rutgers and No. 22 Johns Hopkins - all appeared in the coaches poll this week, while Ohio State received votes.

Double-Digit Wins

• With their win over Michigan last week, the Scarlet Knights locked up 10 wins for the first time since the 2010 campaign.
• Rutgers has produced seven 10-plus win seasons since its first year of varsity lacrosse in 1977. Its most in a season was 14 in 1999, when the Scarlet Knights advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their history.
  • 2022: 10-1
  • 2010: 11-5
  • 2007: 12-5
  • 1999: 14-3 (NCAA Tournament)
  • 1998: 12-6
  • 1997: 12-5
  • 1990: 10-6

Naslonski Approaching History

• With 229 career points, graduate student Taralyn Naslonski is four points away from passing Denise Reed (1987-90) for first on the all-time list at Rutgers.
• Naslonski also needs 13 goals to pass Heather Jones (1991-94) for first in program history in goals.

Career Points	Total
1. Denise Reed (1987-90)	232
2. Taralyn Naslonski (2018-Present)	229
3. Katie Batiuk (2004-07)	216

 

Career Goals	Total
1. Heather Jones (1991-94)	173
2. Taralyn Naslonski (2018-Present)	161
3. Katie Batiuk (2004-07)	160

Naslonski Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

• Graduate student Taralyn Naslonski was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, announced Tuesday by the league office. The award comes after Naslonski combined for 13 points on eight goals and five assists for Rutgers women's lacrosse against No. 13 Michigan and Arizona State last week.
• It marks the second Big Ten weekly laurel for Naslonski, who also earned the designation last season during the final week of the 2021 campaign.
• Naslonski tied a career high with seven points on six goals and an assist in the Scarlet Knights' 13-8 victory over No. 13 Michigan last Thursday, as the graduate student netted five before the halftime buzzer. Naslonski followed with a game-high six points on four helpers and two goals in a 13-12 overtime loss to Arizona State on Sunday.

Midseason All-Americans

• Juniors Meghan Ball and Cassidy Spilis were named 2022 Inside Lacrosse/ILWomen Midseason All-Americans. Both earned second-team laurels by the publication and appear on the prestigious list for the second consecutive season. The duo has helped Rutgers women's lacrosse to its best start in program history and first 10-win season since the 2010 campaign.
• Ball leads the Big Ten and is fifth nationally with 2.42 caused turnovers per game. Ball has caused multiple turnovers in eight games this season and has secured three or more five times. Her five in RU's last game against Arizona was a season high.
• Spilis' 41 goals this season lead the team and are second in the Big Ten Conference. She's the nation's top FPA goal scorer with a 1.08 average.

Kelly Dishing with the Best of Them

• Graduate transfer Stephanie Kelly has been one of the best assisters in the country this season. with her 29 helpers fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten. Kelly is second on the team with 47 points on 18 goals and 29 assists.
• Kelly was named to the Australian Women's Lacrosse team, announced by the organization. Kelly will compete for Team Australia the 2022 World Lacrosse World Championships, which begin on June 29 in Towson, Maryland.

Scouting Northwestern

• The Wildcats enter Thursday night with a 10-2 record and a six-game winning streak. NU defeated UPenn, 17-9, this Sunday in its last time out.
• Northwestern features a top-10 scoring offense, as its 16.08 average ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.The Wildcats are also seventh nationally in draw controls per game with a 17.83 average.
• Lauren Gilbert is first in the Big Ten and ninth nationally with 44 goals, while Erin Coykendall has added 55 points to pace NU's offense. Ally Palemero has been the Wildcats' top defender with 1.08 caused turnovers per game.
• Madison Doucette owns 97 saves, a .418 save percentage and a 11.73 goals against average between the pipes for Northwestern.

Series vs. Northwestern

• Northwestern leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 15-0, which includes an 8-0 record in Big Ten Conference action.
• Despite a career-high nine goals from Cassidy Spilis and a considerable advantage on the draw, No. 16 Rutgers dropped a 24-14 matchup to No. 2 Northwestern in their last meeting in the 2021 Big Ten Semifinals. The Scarlet Knights pushed the Wildcats throughout the contest, which included a three-goal run to tie the game at 11-minute mark in the second half, but the No. 1 seed Wildcats closed out their win with a 13-3 scoring run.

Up Next

• Rutgers returns home to host Wagner on Wednesday, April 13. First draw is set for 6 p.m. ET.