Regular Season Finale Pits WLAX vs. Michigan
Apr 24 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers wraps up the regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. with a Big Ten showdown on the road against Michigan.
The Scarlet Knights and Wolverines will fight for the No. 5 seed in the inaugural Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Rutgers from April 30-May 3 at High Point Solutions Stadium. The matchup will be streamed live via BTN Plus.
| Michigan(5-10, 0-4 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Sunday, April26 |
| Time | 1p.m.EST |
| Location | Ann Arbor, Mich.|Michigan Stadium |
| TV | None |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers| Michigan |
| Statistics | Rutgers| Michigan |
| Social Media | @rulaxbrand |Facebook/RUWlax |
| Rutgers 2015 Fact Book | Click Here |
Knight Notes
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Michigan is the first RU opponent since March 31 not ranked in the IWLCA Top 20. All of Rutgers' four April opponents were ranked, including top-five teams in No. 1/1 Maryland and No. 5/5 Northwestern.
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According to the NCAA's Toughest Schedule report through April 23, RU owns the second-toughest schedule in the nation and toughest slate in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights' past opposition has a 166-69 record (.706 winning percentage) to date.
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Redshirt senior Lauren Sbrilli (Martinsville, N.J.) has scored 22 goals over the last nine games.
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Senior goalie Candice Dandridge (Cherry Hill, N.J.) leads the Big Ten Conference with 8.25 saves per game.
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Redshirt senior Hollie DiMuro (West Babylon, N.Y.) is third in the Rutgers record books with 82 career caused turnovers. She is within reach of second-place Nadia Rogala (1996, 98-00), who has 83.
Last Time Out
A strong day on the draw and solid first half effort was not enough for RU to hold off No. 18/18 Johns Hopkins in the second half, as the Blue Jays distanced themselves with a five-goal run to put the game out of reach by a 14-6 final Wednesday evening.
Junior attackerHalley Barnes(Garnet Valley, Pa.)scored two goals and tallied an assist, as three other players -- freshman Kerri Puckhaber(Wantagh, N.Y.), sophomoreMacy Scott(Toms River, N.J.)and Sbrilli-- added goals. The Scarlet Knights' sixth goal occurred in a JHU own-goal situation.
SeniorMelissa Arthur(Marlton, N.J.) facilitated two assists in the defeat against JHU, which was the eighth ranked opponent of the year for RU.
Scouting Michigan
Michigan enters the game on a seven-game losing streak, last falling to No. 1/1 Maryland on April 18, 14-9, in College Park, Md.
Jess Angerman holds the UM points lead with 44 and is tied for first on the team with Anna Schueler and Kim Coughlan with 30 goals.
Allison Silber has started all 15 games in cage for the Wolverines and has a 12.22 GAA and .396 save percentage.
Michigan will conclude its second season as a Division I program Sunday against RU. Head coach Jennifer Ulehla helped launch the program last season and continues in her second year with the team.
The Series
Rutgers and Michigan will meet for the first time in the history of both programs Sunday afternoon.
B1G Leaders
Through 16 games this season, a number of Scarlet Knights have distinguished themselves as Big Ten elite.
GK Candice Dandridge is first in the league in saves per game (8.25) with Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors under her belt ... Lauren Sbrilli is fourth in the league with 5.38 shots per game ... Kim Kolodny is fifth with 0.56 free position goals per game ... Melissa Arthur is fifth in assists per game, averaging 1.00.
Hats Off
Senior Jenny Vlahos led RU in the win over Villanova with three goals, becoming the first Scarlet Knight to record a hat trick this season. Since then, a Scarlet Knight has scored three or more goals in a game 11 times.
Five different Scarlet Knights have posted games of three or more goals this season, matching last season's total. In 2014, Lauren Sbrilli (5x), Kristin Kocher (3x), Megan Clements (2x), Kim Kolodny (1x) and Amanda Turturro (1x) posted games of three or more goals.
Below is a tally of the Scarlet Knights who have scored three or more goals this season:
4/10/15 - Northwestern- L. Sbrilli- 3
3/31/15 - Lehigh- K. Kolodny- 3
3/28/15- Penn State- H. Barnes- 3
3/18/15 - Hofstra- L. Sbrilli- 4
3/14/15 - JMU- L. Sbrilli- 5
3/14/15 - JMU- K. Dunphey- 3
3/6/15 - UConn- L. Sbrilli- 3
3/4/15- Penn- K. Kolodny- 3
2/28/15- Delaware- K. Kolodny- 3
2/25/15- Monmouth- H. Barnes- 5
2/21/15- Fairfield- K. Dunphey- 4
2/14/15- Villanova- J. Vlahos- 3
Stiff Competition
According to the NCAA's Toughest Schedule report through April 23, Rutgers women's lacrosse owns the second-toughest schedule in the nation and toughest slate in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights' past opposition has a 166-69 record (.706 winning percentage) to date.
Saves For Days
Senior goalie Candice Dandridge set a new personal record with 17 saves at No. 1/1 Maryland on April 4. The saves total is tied for the 10th-highest in the country as of April 23.
The 17 saves were the most for a Rutgers goalie since Lily Kalata posted 17 on April 24, 2010.
Quick on the Draw
Jenny Vlahos enters her senior campaign looking to further her standing in the RU record books. The midfielder has won 113 draw controls in her career at Rutgers, making her fifth on the all-time list and the fifth Scarlet Knight to reach 100 in her career. She is seven draw controls away from tying Katie Batiuk for fourth on the all-time list.
Can't Stop Sbrilli
Lauren Sbrilli, a 2014 First Team All-BIG EAST and IWLCA Second Team All-Mid Atlantic selection, returns to lead the Scarlet Knights' attack this season. For her career, Sbrilli has netted 109 goals and 15 assists, and became the 19th player in program history to join the 100-point club with a pair of goals against Temple on March 11.
Lockdown Defender
Redshirt senior Hollie DiMuro has 82 caused turnovers for her career. DiMuro is third on the all-time list and within reach of second-place Nadia Rogala (1996, 98-00), who has 83.
Take Five
Junior Halley Barnes has sparked the RU attack on numerous occasions and has recorded two five-point games this season. The first was a career-best five-goal performance against Monmouth (Feb. 25) before she posted two goals and three assists against Temple (March 11).
Lucky Number Seven
Sophomore Kristina Dunphey posted the best single-game performance for RU in points this season, recording a hat trick and four assists at James Madison on March 14. The points output was the highest for Rutgers since Katrina Martinelli recorded eight against Manhattan on Feb. 10, 2013.
B1G Honor
With 10 saves in Rutgers' season-opening win over Villanova earned senior goalie Candice Dandridge Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday, Feb. 16. The weekly honor was the first of Dandridge's career and gave Rutgers its first women's lacrosse weekly honor as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The Brand-Sias File
Last season, Laura Brand-Sias recorded her 100th career victory "On the Banks." She is the winningest coach all-time in Rutgers women's lacrosse history. Anna Marie Vesco, who coached from 1994 until Brand-Sias began in 2003, is second all-time in program wins with 81.
Welcome to Our Humble Abode
Rutgers lacrosse now calls High Point Solutions Stadium its home after debuting in the stadium full-time in 2014. Formerly known as "Rutgers Stadium," the facility underwent a 102-millon dollar expansion to increase the capacity to 52,454 in 2009. Contests not played at the stadium will take place at the RU Turf Field.
The Scarlet Knights earned their first-ever win in program history at High Point Solutions Stadium against James Madison on March 15, 2014.
Home Cookin'
Rutgers started 1-0 at home for the third-straight year. The Scarlet Knights opened their home slate at 3-0 in 2014 for just the fifth time in program history. In 2013, RU opened the season at 5-0 to record its best start since the 2010 campaign when the squad opened with a program-best 6-0 "On the Banks." In 1997 Rutgers opened the home slate at 4-0, while the 1990 team also went 3-0 before notching its first loss.
Back "On the Banks"
RU returns 19 letterwinners from a year ago, which includes over 75 percent of its scoring. The Scarlet Knights' top leading scorer- Lauren Sbrilli (30 goals), an All-BIG EAST First Team selection, returns for her final season "On the Banks."
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