Rutgers University
Maryland
No. 20 Women’s Lacrosse Faces No. 3 Maryland Sunday in Second Round of NCAA Tournament
May 09 | Women's Lacrosse
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 20 Rutgers women's lacrosse (11-8) continues NCAA Tournament action on Sunday against No. 3 seed Maryland (16-3) in the second round at SECU Stadium. First draw is set for noon and will stream on ESPN+. The winner will advance to next week's National Quarterfinals against the winner of No. 6 seed Navy and Syracuse.
| How We Got Here |
• The Scarlet Knights held off a late rally to defeat No. 17 Princeton, 12-11, in the opening round on Friday in College Park. The Tigers had possession with a chance to tie the score, but senior captain Lily Dixon forced a turnover with 45 seconds remaining to help RU to its third NCAA postseason win in program history.
• Sophomore Hilary Elsner tied a career high with four goals, while classmate Caroline Ling added a hat trick in the victory. Junior Payton Tini and sophomore Delainey Sutley each had multiple goals. Senior Lily Dixon and rookie Annalise Mesina dished out two assists apiece.
• Rutgers muscled a 16-9 draw control advantage against the Tigers, as senior Katie Buck secured a game-high seven and sophomore Charlee Thomas added four. Buck also contributed three caused turnovers. Sophomore Stella Quilty earned her first career postseason win with nine saves.
| Princeton Win in Context |
• Friday marked the program's third NCAA Tournament victory all-time and third under head coach Melissa Lehman. The Scarlet Knights also produced opening-round wins over No. 10 Drexel (2021) and No. 23 Saint Joseph's (2022) in their previous two NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The victory avenged a 15-9 loss to the Tigers on February 25 in Princeton. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to RU's in-state foe and marked the first win over the Tigers since 2013.
• Rutgers has now defeated three ranked opponents this season along with No. 6 Michigan and No. 25 Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights' three ranked wins are their most since they had three during the 2023 campaign. RU has now delivered wins over 21 ranked foes under Lehman.
• Rutgers is now one win away from advancing to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
| Terrapin Rematch & Series History |
• Rutgers gets another rematch from the regular season after it lost to then-No. 1 Maryland, 18-11, on April 4 in College Park. The Terrapins used back-to-back six-goal quarters in the first half to earn the win at SECU Stadium.
• The Scarlet Knights own two victories in the all-time series with Maryland, including a 9-8 road victory over the Terrapins in the opening round of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament. RU also defeated UMD, 16-14, on April 18, 2021 for the first time in school history.
| Buck & Ling All-Americans |
• Senior Katie Buck and sophomore Caroline Ling were named 2026 All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine, the publication announced Thursday. Buck and Ling earned honorable mention laurels, marking six consecutive seasons Rutgers has produced at least one All-American under Lehman.
• A First Team All-Big Ten selection, Buck has established herself as one of the top draw takers in the country this season. The Moorestown, New Jersey, native has produced a team-high 164 draw controls, a single-season program record. Buck also reset the single-game draw control program record three times this spring, including a career-high 16 against Oregon on April 12 in Piscataway.
• A Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Ling has been one of the top offensive players in the NCAA. The Springboro, Ohio, native leads the team with 93 points on 61 goals and 32 assists, netting three or more goals 13 times in 2026. Ling's 93 points are now a program single-season record, passing the 90 tallied by current assistant coach Taralyn Naslonski in 2022.
| Youth Movement |
• Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 78 percent of the team's goals (195/249) and 70 percent of the team's points (282/405) this spring. RU's top four goal-scorers – Caroline Ling (61), Kate Theofield (44), Hilary Elsner (34) and Delainey Sutley (27) – are all sophomores or younger.
| Dixon the Facilitator |
• Senior Lily Dixon set the program single-season assist record in the 13-12 win over No. 6 Michigan on April 9 and is up to 50 assists this season. Dixon became the first student-athlete in program history to break 100 career assists earlier this season.
| Theofield Rookie Success |
• Rookie Kate Theofield has been one of the best first-year scorers in the NCAA. The Smithtown, New York, native is fifth nationally amongst freshmen and second in the Big Ten with 44 goals this season.
