PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 11 Rutgers women's lacrosse (15-4) continues its historic season against No. 23 Saint Joseph's (14-6) on Friday in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. First draw is set for 5:30 p.m. ET at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, New York and will broadcast on ESPN+. The winner will play the winner between Stony Brook and Drexel on Sunday, May 15 at noon.
 
Adult tickets for Friday's game – which includes admission to both first-round matchups at Stony Brook – cost $25, while youth tickets cost $7. Adult tickets for Sunday's second round are $15, while youth tickets are $7. Tickets can be purchased here.
 
After competing in the NCAA Tournament just once in their first 44 years of varsity play, the Scarlet Knights have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. RU returns to Stony Brook for its second consecutive NCAA postseason appearance after it registered its first-ever NCAA Tournament win last May at LaValle Stadium over No. 10 Drexel, 16-13, in the opening round.
 
How We Got Here
Rutgers has enjoyed its most successful season since it began varsity play in 1977, securing a program-record 15 victories while advancing to its first Big Ten Tournament final since it began league play in 2015. The Scarlet Knights delivered four Big Ten victories during the regular season, downed five ranked opponents, and registered its first ever win over a top-5 opponent when it defeated No. 4 Northwestern last Friday in the Big Ten semifinals.
 
In the Rankings
Rutgers rose to No. 11 in the final ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll of the regular season, the team's highest ranking of the season and its highest in program history. The Scarlet Knights have held a national ranking throughout the 2022 season, the first time they have been ranked for a season's duration in their history. RU also enters the NCAA Tournament No. 7 in the latest RPI – the third highest in the Big Ten behind No. 2 Maryland and No. 4 Northwestern.
 
Five B1G Teams to the Dance – A Conference Record
The Big Ten Conference broke new ground with a conference-record five programs receiving bids to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament. Along with Rutgers, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Michigan and Northwestern earned their way into this year's tournament, with Maryland and Northwestern receiving top-four seeds. The Big Ten's five NCAA Tournament berths surpass the previous high of four bids set in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
 
Lehman & Spilis Collect Major Big Ten Recognition
Junior Cassidy Spilis earned Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and Melissa Lehman was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, released Monday by the league office. Spilis – a unanimous selection for midfielder of the year – becomes the first Scarlet Knight to earn an individual Big Ten Player of the Year accolade since the team began league play in 2015. Lehman collects her first conference coach of the year award since taking over the program in 2019-20. Lehman joins Meredith Civico (field hockey) and Mike O'Neill (women's soccer) as head coaches from Rutgers who have earned coach of the year honors from the conference this season.
 
Four Named USA Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans
Meghan Ball, Stephanie Kelly, Taralyn Naslonski and Cassidy Spilis were named 2022 All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine on Wednesday. Spilis earned second-team recognition, Ball collected third-third honors and Kelly and Naslonski were pegged honorable mention selections by the publication. This is Ball and Spilis' second consecutive appearance on the list from USA Lacrosse Magazine, as both were honorable mention All-Americans in 2021.
 
Naslonski & Spilis – Double Threat
Cassidy Spilis (65) and graduate student Taralyn Naslonski (60) mark the first time Rutgers has had two 60-plus and 50-plus goal scorers in the same season in program history. Naslonski and Spilis have combined for 26 hat tricks this spring. Spilis' 65 goals are a program single-season record, while Naslonski's 255 career goals are the most in program history.
 
Ball Approaching Single-Season CT Record
Junior All-American Meghan Ball needs two caused turnovers to pass Robin Erthal (1998) for the most caused turnovers in a season in program history at 48. Ball has caused multiple turnovers in 13 games and leads the Big Ten and is seventh nationally with 2.42 caused turnovers per game.
 
Scouting Saint Joseph's
The Hawks produced 14 wins this season and upset No. 13 UMass for their first Atlantic-10 title in program history on May 1 in Amherst, Massachusetts. JSU enters the postseason with a four-game winning streak and winners of eight of its last 10.
 
Lauren Figura leads the team in points (84) and goals (71) this season, while Lisa Ross has dished out a team-best 23 assists. Sophia Kolkka has caused 30 turnovers and Jordan Concordia owns a 11.52 goals against average, a .459 save percentage and 192 saves in cage.
 
All-Time Series
Rutgers leads the all-time series with Saint Joseph's, 16-1. The Hawks won for the first time in the series when it defeated the Scarlet Knights in overtime, 13-12, on Feb. 29, 2020 in Piscataway. Both teams first met on April 1, 1995 - a 13-3 win for Rutgers in Philadelphia.
 
Graduate transfer Stephanie Kelly lettered for Saint Joseph's from 2018-21 and played in the Hawks' win over RU in 2020. Kelly produced 237 points on 128 goals and 109 assists in four seasons in Philadelphia and was named Atlantic-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
 
With a Win …

• Rutgers will secure its second NCAA Tournament win in its history.
• Advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
• Face either Drexel or Stony Brook for the second consecutive time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Pick up its 16^th victory of the season, adding to its program record for wins in a season.
• Deliver its sixth win over a ranked opponent, matching last season's program record for wins over ranked foes.