PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse opens its 2025 season on Saturday at Army. First draw is set for noon and will broadcast on ESPN+.
The Scarlet Knights enter the season after advancing to their fourth consecutive Big Ten semifinal last spring under head coach
Melissa Lehman. RU finished with eight wins last season, including a victory over No. 7 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament.
RU returns six of its top nine scorers from a year ago, including junior
Lily Dixon (43 PT, 30A, 13G), Senior
Victoria Goldrick (38 PT, 24A, 14G) and sophomore
Payton Tini (29 PT, 20G, 9A). Rutgers also features Big Ten Players to Watch
Lexie Coldiron in cage and
Alexa Corbin on attack.
Captains Excited for 2025 Campaign
By Bradly Derechailo
When Rutgers women's lacrosse gets off the bus this weekend at Michie Stadium, head coach
Melissa Lehman can have trust her captains will provide leadership and guidance to the rest of her roster.
Emalie Clothier,
Victoria Goldrick and
Madison Karpe enter Saturday's matchup with Army (12 p.m., ESPN+) with a combined 128 games of experience, including 112 starts in some of the most hostile environments in college lacrosse.
Their experience and passion for the program can only help a roster which features 19 underclassman.
"What excites me about these three is that they love Rutgers," Lehman said. "They do everything for the team and have been able to develop connections with everyone in the program throughout this entire year. They are 100 percent team first and have spent a long time investing in relationships with everyone off the field. It's going to help us with our young roster."
A 2025 Big Ten Player to Watch, Clothier enters he fourth collegiate season with 56 games played since arriving "On the Banks" in 2022. Last season, Clothier started all 18 games in the midfield, finishing with 15 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and five draw controls along with four points on three assists and a goal.
Now a two-time team captain, Clothier is excited to provide guidance along with Goldrick, Karpe and the rest of her senior class.
"It is such an honor to be a two-time captain and have the trust of the rest of my teammates," Clothier said. "It's something I take great pride in as we all look to lead this team. I just want to set a great example for the rest of my teammates and make them proud of what we're doing here at Rutgers."
A defensive middie her first three seasons, Clothier will strictly be on defense in 2025. It is a move Lehman believes will allow Clothier to showcase her aggressive playing style while bolstering the Scarlet Knights' backline.
"Emalie is in many ways the heartbeat of our team," Lehman said. "She brings an intensity and competitiveness that I believe as a defender she will be able to channel in and give a jolt to our defensive unit. We want to be a team that is aggressive and has that mindset, and that's what Emalie is all about."
Karpe joins Clothier as anchors for RU's defense. Karpe has started 55 consecutive games dating back to her rookie season in 2022, producing 79 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers along the way. Karpe has caused multiple turnovers in seven career games, including two in last year's win over Army at SHI Stadium.
While Karpe's talent is an undeniable asset, Lehman points to her ability break down plays as they happen as an invaluable resource for her team's success.
"Maddy is just like another coach out there on the field," Lehman said. "She breaks things down for the rest of the team to learn. To have that type of player on the field is extremely helpful on gameday."
Karpe is also honored to be one of the team's three captains this season, but knows it takes a village to maintain the program's standard. That begins with RU's 10-player senior class.
"Our senior class is such a tight-knit group," Karpe said. "Even though we have three captains, all of our classmates do a great job of being leaders on and off the field. No matter what your role is on the team, its great that we can all use our different perspectives to help our team achieve its goals."
With Clothier and Karpe leading the defense, Goldrick will anchor Rutgers' offensive attack. After missing her first two collegiate seasons due to injury, Goldrick broke out as a junior with 38 points on 24 assists and 14 goals in 17 games this past spring. Her 1.4 assists per game tied for seventh in the Big Ten Conference, while her 24 helpers finished second on the team in 2024.
For Goldrick, just being able to play with her teammates is something she is looking forward to the most.
"My first goal after my injuries was just to be able to come back and have fun with my teammates," Goldrick said. "So to be able to have an impact like I did last season was an amazing feeling. I really enjoy playing with my teammates and being around the people who were there for me through it all."
According to Lehman, Goldrick's 'We Before Me' mindset – she had six or more games last season with multiple assists – is what makes her such an effective option for the Scarlet Knights this spring.
"She's a calming presence on our offense," Lehman said. "She's a team-first player and that shows in her assists, selflessness and her IQ. Her goal as a captain is to have our team play well together, and that's what we've seen so far this preseason."
RU's first challenge of the season occurs Saturday against Army. The Black Knights advanced to their first NCAA Tournament in program history two seasons ago and were picked third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll last month.
The team will take this season one game at a time and enjoy all of the moments along the way.
"It's such an honor the first time you put on that uniform to start a season," Karpe said. "Being a senior, this is our 'last' first game, so we're just going to cherish every moment in that jersey that we can."
- Lexie Coldiron
- Career Saves: 484
- Needs 16 to reach 500 for her career
- Madison Karpe
- Career Ground Balls: 79
- Needs 21 to reach 100 for her career
- Lily Dixon
- Career Points: 62
- Needs 38 to reach 100 for her career
- Rutgers leads the all-time series with Army, 2-1, meeting in each of the past three seasons dating back to 2022.
- The Scarlet Knights defeated the Black Knights, 16-9, last season in Piscataway. Lily Dixon tallied a career-high six points on three goals and three assists in the win.
- Rutgers remains on the road with a trip to Monmouth on Wednesday, Feb. 12 in West Long Branch. First draw is scheduled for 2 p.m.
