PISCATAWAY – No. 25 Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-5, 0-3) plays at RV Johns Hopkins (4-6, 1-1) on Saturday in Baltimore. First draw is set for 11 a.m. ET at Homewood Field, with a national broadcast on ESPNU. Joe Benenati and Courtney Martinez Connor will be on the call.
 

Last Time Out

• The Scarlet Knights lost 14-4 at No. 15 Michigan last Friday in their last time out. Playing its fifth ranked team in six outings, RU was held to a season-low 10 shots against the Wolverines.

What to Know

• Senior defender Meghan Ball leads the country with 4.11 caused turnovers per game. The two-time IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week also leads the Big Ten ground balls per game (3.44) and is second in draw controls per game (6.55).
• Ball caused a game-high five turnovers last Friday against the Wolverines - the 22nd time in her career she has caused three or more turnovers in a game. Ball has caused three or more turnovers six times this spring.
• Graduate student Marin Hartshorn has provided a spark on offense for Rutgers in March, producing 22 points on 13 goals and 9 assists across RU's past five games.
• With her 168 career goals, senior midfielder Cassidy Spilis needs just six to pass Heather Jones (1991-94) for the second-most goals in program history. Spilis leads the team with 23 goals this season and is sixth in the Big Ten with 2.56 goals scored per game.
• Spilis needs just two ground balls for 100 for her career. and six draw controls for 200 for her career. Senior Jenna Byrne needs four points for 100 for her career. Classmate Jessica Beneducci needs six ground balls for 100.
• RV Johns Hopkins represents one of 10 teams on this year's schedule either ranked or receiving votes in the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll. The list includes No. 2 Northwestern, No. 5 James Madison, No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 10 Maryland, No. 13 Army, No. 15 Michigan, No. 17 Princeton, No. 18 Penn State, No. 21 Jacksonville and RV Johns Hopkins.
• RU dropped to No. 25 in this week's ILWomen/IWLCA poll.

Records, Milestones to Watch

• Cassidy Spilis is two ground balls away from 100 for her career (98).
• Cassidy Spilis is six goals away from passing Heather Jones for No. 2 on the all-time list.
• Cassidy Spilis is six draw controls away from 200 for her career (193).
• Jenna Byrne is four points away from 100 for her career (96).
• Jessica Beneducci is six GBs for 100 for her career (94).

Statistical Leaders

• Meghan Ball
  • CTs-Per-Game: 4.11 (First B1G, First NCAA)
  • GBs-Per-Game: 3.44 (First B1G, 10th NCAA)
  • DCs-Per-Game: 6.56 (Second B1G, 16th NCAA)
• Cassidy Spilis
  • Goals: 23 (Eighth B1G)
  • Goals-Per-Game: 2.56 (Sixth B1G)
• Marin Hartshorn
  • Assists: 13 (Sixth B1G)
  • Assists-Per-Game: 1.44 (Fifth B1G)
  • Points: 32 (Ninth B1G)
• Jenna Byrne
  • Assists: 11 (Ninth B1G)
  • Assists-Per-Game: 1.22 (Seventh B1G)
• Sophia Cardello
  • Saves-Per-Game: 9.22 (First B1G, 24th NCAA)
  • Save Percentage: .485 (Second B1G, 20th NCAA)
  • Saves: 83 (Third B1G, 28th NCAA)
  • GAA: 10.28 (Fifth B1G, 28th NCAA)

Scouting Johns Hopkins and Series History

• The Blue Jays enter Saturday's matchup after they lost a tight 12-9 matchup with No. 6 Stony Brook on Wednesday night in Baltimore. Stony Brook used a six-goal fourth quarter to complete the come-from-behind win over JHU. Charlotte Smith had four goals for Johns Hopkins in the loss.
• Ava Angello and Maeve Baker lead the team with 28 points apiece. Reagan O'Brien has caused a team-high 21 turnovers, while Maggie Tydings in the goalie of record with a .410 save percentage.
• Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 6-2. RU has won two of the past three matchups, including a 12-11 win last season in Piscataway. Current volunteer assistant Taralyn Naslonski netted the game-winning goal off a pass from Marin Hartshorn with six seconds left for the win.

Up Next

• Rutgers returns home to host No. 2 Northwestern on Thursday, April 6 at SHI Stadium. The game is the first of four home games for the Scarlet Knights in April.