Rutgers University
San Diego State
Women’s Lacrosse Closes West Coast Trip Monday at San Diego State
Mar 29 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (7-4) closes its two-game road trip to the West Coast when it faces San Diego State (2-8) on Monday at Aztec Field. First draw is set for a 7 p.m. ET start and will stream on SDSU Athletics' YouTube channel.
The Scarlet Knights enter their final non-conference game of the regular season after they earned a 15-8 victory at USC on Saturday in Los Angeles. RU has muscled back-to-back Big Ten Conference wins for the first time since the 2024 campaign after also defeating No. 25 Ohio State on March 19 in Columbus.
| Last Time Out |
• Rutgers defeated USC, 15-8, on Saturday at Rawlinson Stadium. It marked the second consecutive Big Ten Conference victory for the Scarlet Knights, who also secured their first ever win over the Trojans in program history.
• RU scored on 60 percent of its shots against USC, as sophomore Caroline Ling netted a game-high five goals along with two assists. Rookie Kate Theofield added four goals, while classmate Annalise Messina contributed two. Senior Lily Dixon dished out four assists, setting a career best for helpers in a season at 37.
• Rutgers' defense allowed just eight goals for the second consecutive outing. Sophomore Stella Quilty stopped 12 USC shots, while the Scarlet Knights forced the home team into 12 turnovers. Senior Katie Buck secured a game-high six draw controls.
| Building a Resume |
• The Scarlet Knights own the eighth-hardest schedule in the NCAA, with RU's pervious opponents owning a combined .682 winning percentage. Rutgers also moved to No. 13 in the latest RPI released earlier this week.
• The Scarlet Knights have already faced five opponents ranked in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll and are set to finish with four ranked opponents in their final five games of the regular season. The list includes No. 3 Maryland, No. 5 Michigan, No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 Stony Brook, No. 15 Princeton, No. 18 Army, No. 21 Penn State and No. 25 Ohio State.
• Thanks to its win over the Buckeyes, Rutgers received votes in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, the USA Lacrosse Magazine Top 20 and the KANE Women's Division I Media Poll (IL Women).
| Back-To-Back B1G Freshman of the Week |
• Rookies Annalise Messina and Kate Theofield were named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks. It marks the first time in program history Rutgers has had different rookies earn the award in consecutive weeks.
| #SCTop10 Regulars |
• Rutgers has appeared on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays four times this spring thanks to highlight goals from Theofield and sophomore Delainey Sutley.
- Delainey Sutley vs. Monmouth
- Kate Theofield at No. 14 Princeton
- Kate Theofield vs. Hofstra
- Kate Theofield vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins
| Dixon the Facilitator |
• Senior Lily Dixon is first in the Big Ten and seventh in the NCAA with 37 assists this season, while her 3.36 assists per game also lead the conference. Dixon has dished out multiple helpers in all but one game this season, including contributing three or more assists seven times.
• Dixon, who already set a personal best for assists this season with 37, is three away from passing Steph Kelly (2022) for the program's single-season record.
| Buck Shines on the Draw |
• Senior Katie Buck has established herself as one of the top draw takers in the country this season. The Moorestown, New Jersey, native is second in the Big Ten and 14th nationally with 9.00 draw controls per game. Buck has secured eight or more draw controls eight times this season and has reset her program single-game draw control record twice this spring.
• Buck secured her 100th draw control on the season over the weekend at USC and needs two to become fourth player in school history to hit 200 for her career.
| Ling on the Offensive |
• Sophomore Caroline Ling has been one of the top scorers in the country this season. The Springboro, Ohio, native is third in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with 42 goals, also ranking eighth in the country with 3.82 goals per game. Her 59 points are eighth nationally and third in the conference.
| Youth Movement |
• Rutgers has had quality offensive production from its sophomores and freshmen this season. Underclassman have accounted for 80 percent of the team's goals (118 out of 148) and 68 percent of the team's points (166 out of 244) this spring.
| About SDSU |
• The Aztecs enter the weekend 2-8 on the season, losing at No. 14 Colorado 15-6 on Saturday in their last time out.
• Keira Doyle-Odenbach leads the team with 21 goals and 34 draw controls this season, while Mia Maechtel has produced a team-high 30 points on 20 goals and 10 helpers. Caitlin Boughton is 2-5 in cage for the Aztecs with a 13.14 GAA and a .353 save percentage.
• Rutgers is 1-0 all-time against San Diego State, winning the first matchup, 14-4, on April 16, 2022 in Piscataway. Caroline Ling had a goal and assist in the loss.
| Next Time Out |
• Rutgers competes at No. 3 Maryland on Saturday in College Park. First draw is set for noon and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
