No. 21 Women’s Lacrosse Loses to No. 5 Johns Hopkins in Big Ten Quarterfinals

Wednesday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6 PM

Rutgers University

10-8

Johns Hopkins

14-3

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Rutgers	1	1	3	4	9
Johns Hopkins	5	4	3	2	14

Caroline Ling produced a team-high six points in Rutgers women's lacrosse's 14-9 loss to No. 5 Johns Hopkins in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

No. 21 Women’s Lacrosse Loses to No. 5 Johns Hopkins in Big Ten Quarterfinals

Apr 22 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 21 Rutgers women's lacrosse (10-8) lost to No. 5 Johns Hopkins (12-3), 14-9, on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Big Ten Tournament at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.

With a No. 17 RPI, the sixth toughest schedule in the country, five wins against the RPI Top 40 and no losses outside the RPI Top 30, the Scarlet Knights will wait to see if they hear their named called during next weekend's NCAA Tournament selection show.

Sophomore Caroline Ling produced a team-high six points on four goals and two assists to pace RU's offense. Classmates Hilary Elsner and Delainey Sutley netted multiple goals, while rookie Kate Theofield added three points on two helpers and a score. Sophomore goalkeeper Stella Quilty stopped 10 shots in the loss.

The Blue Jays used a 16-9 advantage on draw controls and 13 caused turnovers to earn the victory. Ranked fifth in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll, JHU represented the 10th ranked opponent for Rutgers this season.

After Ling tied the score at 1-1 six minutes into the game, Johns Hopkins used five consecutive goals to take a 6-1 lead into the second quarter. Ling found Elsner in at the 9:31 mark in the second, but the Blue Jays netted a 3-0 scoring run to close the half with a 9-2 advantage.

Rutgers never relented out of the locker room, countering back-to-back JHU goals with a 3-0 scoring run of its own. Ling, Sutley and Theofield all contributed goals during the stretch, with Sutley's goal making it 11-5. Johns Hopkins added a late goal for a 12-5 lead through three quarters.

The Scarlet Knights outscored the Blue Jays, 4-2, in the final 15 minutes of play. Ling's fourth of the night with 5:35 left brought the game to within four goals, but JHU held on for the win.

Up Next
The 2026 NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place on Sunday, May 3 from 9-9:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Rutgers looks to earn an at-large selection to the tournament for the first time since the 2022 season, the third time under head coach Melissa Lehman and the fourth time in program history.