PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 22 Rutgers women's lacrosse (5-1) begins Big Ten Conference play when it hosts Penn State (2-4) on Saturday at SHI Stadium. First draw is set for 1 p.m. and will broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
 
Admission and parking for all home games are free. Fans planning to park must register their vehicles with the University through this link. Visitors only need to register their vehicle once for the entire season. Parking for 2024 home games is in the Scarlet Lot outside the West entrance of SHI Stadium.
 
Saturday is the program's Letterwinner Day as well as a 'Scarlet Out', with fans encouraged to wear red to the game. Complimentary 'Block R' red t-shirts will be available while supplies last.
 

Last Time Out

• The Scarlet Knights used 10 different goal scorers to down Oregon, 15-7, on Sunday at SHI Stadium. RU jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back to secure a win in its first ever matchup with its future conference foe in front of a national audience on Big Ten Network.
• Graduate student Cassidy Spilis, junior Victoria Goldrick and rookie Payton Tini all tallied four points in the win, with Spilis and sophomore Ava Kane scoring three goals apiece. Graduate student Jessica Beneducci, seniors Kate Carolonza, Mikayla Dever and Ashley Moynahan, junior Michelle Warren, sophomore Kimberly Greenblatt and freshman Reese Robinson also added goals to spread out the scoring.

 

Steady in the Polls

• Rutgers remained No. 22 in this week's IWLCA Coaches' Poll, its third consecutive week in the national rankings. The Scarlet Knights also received votes for the second consecutive week in the USA Lacrosse Division I Top 20.
• RU is one of five ranked teams from the Big Ten this week, joining No. 1 Northwestern, No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Maryland, and No. 15 Johns Hopkins. Penn State also received votes in this week's poll.

 

Spilis Leads the Way

• Spilis has established herself as one of the best midfielders in the country through the first five weeks of the season. The graduate student ranks within the top 30 nationally in goals (26, sixth), goals per game (4.33, 10^th), shot percentage (.667, 12^th), points (29, 17^th), points per game (4.83, 26^th) and draw controls per game (6.17, 30^th). Her 26 goals lead the Big Ten Conference.
• With her 218 career goals, Spilis ranks third amongst active players in Division I in that category, trailing only Northwestern's Izzy Scane (310) and James Madison's Isabella Peterson (245).
• Spilis needs two points to pass Denise Reed (232) for second all-time in career points at Rutgers. Spilis is 36 points away from passing current assistant coach Taralyn Naslonski (266) for the program record.

 

B1G Accolades

• Spilis and Tini earned weekly recognition from the Big Ten Conference, announced Tuesday by the league office.
• Spilis has now been named Big Ten Midfielder of the Week for the fourth consecutive time – the most individual Big Ten weekly laurels by a student-athlete in a single season since Rutgers women's lacrosse began league play in 2015.
• Tini was named Big Ten Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive time.

 

Goldrick Makes Her Mark

• After missing her first two seasons due to injury, junior Victoria Goldrick has been a standout for the Scarlet Knights with 17 points on a team-high 12 assists and five goals in 2024. Her 12 assists are fourth in the Big Ten and 22^nd nationally.

 

Statistical Standouts

Cassidy Spilis

• Draw Controls Per Game: 6.17 (1st Big Ten/30th NCAA)
• Goals: 26 (1st Big Ten/6th NCAA)
• Goals Per Game: 4.33 (1st Big Ten/10th NCAA)
• Shot Percentage: .667 (1^st Big Ten/12^th NCAA)
• Points: 29 (4th Big Ten/17th NCAA)
• Points Per Game: 4.83 (4th Big Ten/26th NCAA)

Victoria Goldrick

• Assists: 12 (4th Big Ten/22^nd NCAA)
• Assists Per Game: 2.00 (4th Big Ten/33^rd NCAA)

Sophia Cardello

• GAA.: 8.33 (4th Big Ten/12th NCAA)
• Save Percentage: .534 (4th Big Ten/9th NCAA)
• Saves: 55 (3rd Big Ten/18th NCAA)
• Saves Per Game: 9.17 (3rd Big Ten/28th NCAA)

 

Scouting Penn State & Series History

• The Nittany Lions enter Saturday with a 2-4 record, losing to No. 8 Loyola (Md.), 14-10, last Saturday in Baltimore.
• Kristin O'Neill leads PSU with 23 points on 19 goals and four assists. Gretchen Gilmore has paced Penn State's offense with 12 goals.
• Kayla Abernathy has secured 20 draw controls. Sydney Manning owns a 2-3 record in cage with a 10.95 GAA and a .429 save percentage.
• Penn State went 11-7 last season, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• PSU leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 22-2, but the Scarlet Knights have won two of the past three meetings. Penn State defeated the Scarlet Knights, 9-7, last season in a neutral-site matchup in Nashville.

 

Up Next

• Rutgers continues its four-game homestand when it hosts No. 6 Michigan on Thursday, March 14 under the lights for a 6 p.m. matchup at SHI Stadium.