PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (7-3, 1-0) faces No. 7 Johns Hopkins (6-2, 1-0) on Sunday in Baltimore. First draw from Homewood Field is set for an 11 a.m. national broadcast on ESPNU, with Mark Dixon and Sheehan Stanwick Burch on the call.

Winners of four of their last five games, the Scarlet Knights look to start 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference for the first time since joining the league in 2014-15. RU's past four matchups with the Blue Jays have been decided by one goal, with Rutgers and JHU 3-3 in their past six meetings.
 

Last Time Out

• Rutgers delivered a 19-7 out-of-conference win over Temple on Thursday night at SHI Stadium. With a downpour for the entirety of the second half, the Scarlet Knights outscored the Owls, 9-2, in the final 30 minute of play and forced the visitors into 15 turnovers to secure the home win in Piscataway.
• Junior Lily Dixon posted a career-high seven points on four assists and three goals, while rookie Hilary Elsner scored a career-high four goals. Senior Alexa Corbin, sophomore Payton Tini and freshman Delainey Sutley all muscled two goals a piece to help pace RU's potent scoring attack.
• Dixon also shined on the defensive side of the ball with five ground balls and two caused turnovers to go along with five draw controls. Classmate Katie Buck added a team-high six draw controls, while graduate student goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron tallied her seventh win of the season with six saves on 22 shots faced.

What to Know

• Rutgers moved to No. 20 in this week's USA Lacrosse Magazine poll - one of six Big Ten programs in the poll this week (No. 3 Northwestern, No. 5 Maryland, No. 10 Johns Hopkins, No. 14 Michigan, No. 17 Ohio State).
• The Scarlet Knights have faced three ranked opponents in their last five games, including matchups with No. 4 Yale (L, 12-6), No. 16 Stony Brook (W, 12-11) and No. 12 Princeton (L, 20-8). RU is also set to face No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 Maryland, No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 11 Michigan, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 21 USC this season.
• Coldiron has solidified herself as one of the top netminders in the country after transferring in from Lafayette. Coldiron leads the Big Ten in saves (109) and saves per game (10.90), ranking second and ninth in the country in those categories, respectively. Coldiron is also second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally with a .548 save percentage and racked up a career-high 21 saves last week against No. 12 Princeton.
• Buck has been a revelation on the draw, currently sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally with 7.10 draws per game. Her 71 draw controls are third in the conference, as she has recorded six or more draw controls in eight games this season.
• Dixon leads the team and is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 35 points this season. Dixon is four points away from becoming the 28th player in program history to hit 100 career points.
• Senior defender Madison Karpe is five ground balls shy of 100 for her career. The captain has appeared in 65 career games for the Scarlet Knights, totaling 31 caused turnovers during her time 'On the Banks.'
• Rookies have had an immediate impact for the Scarlet Knights this season. Sutley was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week earlier this season and is tied for second on the team with 14 goals this season. Elsner (11 goals) and Caroline Ling (nine goals) have also contributed meaningful scoring. Charlee Thomas has started all 10 games on defense, while Bianca Chiarella co-leads the team with 11 caused turnovers.

About Johns Hopkins

• The Blue Jays enter Sunday with a 6-2 mark, defeating USC, 17-11, this past Sunday in Los Angeles. JHU is on a five-game winning streak, including victories over No. No. 8 Syracuse, No. 12 Penn and No. 16 Stony Brook during the stretch.
• The Blue Jays are eighth in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.50) and 11^th in points per game (22.38).
• Laurel Gonzalez leads the conference with 9.38 draw controls per game. Ashley Mackin is second nationally with 6.71 points per game.
• Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series, 8-3, but RU has split with the Blue Jays, 3-3, in its last six meetings.
• Rutgers lost to then-No. Johns Hopkins in overtime, 13-12, last spring in their last meeting. he Scarlet Knights held a three-goal lead with just over two minutes to play, but the Blue Jays scored three consecutive goals to force overtime and closed out the night with a game-winner from Bailey Cheetha.

Up Next

• Rutgers hosts No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday, March 30 in Piscataway. First draw is set for 1 p.m., with the game streamed on Big Ten Plus.