PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 13 Rutgers women's lacrosse (14-3, 4-2) brings a four-game winning streak and top-10 RPI into the postseason when it opens the 2022 Big Ten Tournament on Friday night against No. 4 Northwestern (13-3, 5-1) in Piscataway. First draw is set for 8 p.m. ET with a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.
 
The matchup is the first of two semifinal matchups at SHI Stadium on Friday night, as the No. 3-seeded Scarlet Knights host Big Tens for the first time since 2015. The winner between RU and No. 2 seed Northwestern will play the winner of No. 1 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Johns Hopkins on Sunday at noon ET.
 
Tickets for all three games can be purchased here. Parking for the 2022 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament is free, but visitors must register their vehicle with the University through this link. Visitors only need to register their vehicle once for the entire weekend. Parking is located in the Scarlet Lot outside the West entrance of SHI Stadium.
 
Friday Schedule

5:30 p.m. ET	No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 4 Johns Hopkins
8 p.m. ET	No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Rutgers

Sunday Schedule

Noon ET

Semifinal Winners

Last Time Out
Rutgers erased a three-goal deficit in the second half to defeat Ohio State 10-8, last Thursday in Columbus. The victory solidified the Scarlet Knights as the No. 3 seed at the Big Ten Tournament– its best finish in the conference since it joined in 2014-15 – and matched the program record for wins in a season at 14.
 
Down 7-4 with nine minutes left in the third quarter, Rutgers outscored the Buckeyes 6-1 in the final 24 minutes of play to collect its fourth consecutive win over Ohio State dating back to last season. Captains Marin Hartshorn and Cassidy Spilis both netted hat tricks in the victory to pace the Scarlet Knights' offense.
 
In the Rankings
Rutgers wrapped up the regular season No. 13 in this week's ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll and Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Top 20. 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.

With its 14-3 record, RU holds a No. 8 RPI as of May 1. ITs the third-highest RPI in the Big Ten behind Maryland (No. 2) and Northwestern (No. 3). The Scarlet Knights owns wins over four ranked opponents and four Big Ten Conference wins this season.
 
B1G Players of the Week
Junior Cassidy Spilis and rookie Emalie Clothier earned Big Ten Weekly honors, announced Tuesday by the conference office. Spilis secured Big Ten Midfielder of the Week laurels for the third consecutive time, while Clothier was named Big Ten Rookie of the Week for the first time this season.

Historic Wins Total
With its win over Ohio State last week, Rutgers matched a program record for wins (14) in a single season with the 1999 program. A victory in the postseason would secure the program's best season since since its first year of varsity lacrosse in 1977.
 
Double-Digit Winning Seasons

• 2022: 14-3
• 2010: 11-5
• 2007: 12-5
• 1999: 14-3 (NCAA Tournament)
• 1998: 12-6
• 1997: 12-5
• 1990: 10-6

Spilis Approaching Single-Season Goals Record
Junior midfielder Cassidy Spilis was named to the Tewaaraton Award Top 25 last month – the first time the program has had a Top 25 finalist. At 59 goals this season, Spilis needs just two goals to pass Heather Jones (1993) for the program's single-season goal record. Spilis has scored hat tricks in 13 outings this season and five or more goals five times.
 
Kelly Going for 300 Career Points
Graduate student Stephanie Kelly needs just three points to reach 300 for her career. Kelly produced 237 points from 2018-21 while at St. Joseph's and is second on the team this season with 60 points on 24 goals and 36 assists. Kelly set the program's single-season assist record at 35 with her three assists on April 23 against Penn State in Piscataway.
 
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats closed out their regular season with 13 victories and a 5-1 mark in Big Ten action. NU produced wins over six ranked opponents this season and finished the regular season with a No. 4 ranking in the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll. Northwestern owns the top scoring offense in the Big Ten with a 16.38 average, also eighth in the NCAA.
 
NU's offense is paced by Laurent Gilbert, who leads the team with 87 points on 63 goals and 24 assists. Erin Coykendall has dished out a team-high 29 assists, while Jill Girardi is first in the conference and second nationally with 10.64 draw controls per game. Madison Doucette has stopped 126 goals in cage for the Wildcats.
 
Northwestern leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 16-0. The Wildcats won this season's first meeting 21-13 on April 7 in Evanston. Rutgers went toe-to-toe with the Northwestern for most of the game and drew to within one midway through the third quarter before NU secured the win with an 8-1 scoring run in the final quarter and a half of play. The teams combined for 73 shots on the night, as Taralyn Naslonski finished with a team-high six points on four goals and two assists.