Rutgers University
Villanova
Women’s Lacrosse Set For Saturday Matchup at Villanova
Feb 20 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (2-1) faces Villanova (2-1) on Saturday at Villanova Stadium. First draw is set for noon, with the game streamed on ESPN+.
The Scarlet Knights look to open the season with three wins in their first four games for the seventh consecutive year under head coach Melissa Lehman. RU has scored 46 goals in its first three games – the most since 2022 – and has allowed five or less goals in back-to-back wins for the first time since 2017.
| Last Time Out |
• Rutgers delivered a dominant 20-5 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday night at SHI Stadium. The Scarlet Knights outscored Monmouth, 13-3, in the first half and used a 33-18 shot advantage to secure their second win of the season.
• Senior Lily Dixon dished out a career-high six assists and added a goal for her seven-point outing. Sophomores Caroline Ling and Delainey Sutley added hat tricks, as Sutley tied a career-high with five points on three goals and two assists.
• Twelve student-athletes contributed at least one goal in the win, including two goals from junior Payton Tini, redshirt sophomore Samantha Swanovich, sophomore Hilary Elsner and rookie Annalise Messina.
• RU dominated on both sides of the field, allowing just eight shots in the first 30 minutes of action while causing 15 turnovers. Sophomore Maddie Miceli, classmate Charlee Thomas and redshirt freshman Nora Maione forced multiple turnovers, with Miceli causing a game-high three turnovers to go along with a game-high four ground balls.
| Dixon Approaching History |
• With 86 career assists, Dixon is seven away from passing Marin Hartshorn (2019-23) for the most assists in program history. Dixon has already dished out a team-high 14 helpers through RU's first three games, which currently leads the Big Ten and is third nationally.
| Sutley #SCTop10 |
• Sutley netted three goals on Wednesday against Monmouth, including a highlight behind-the-back cleanup goal in the first quarter that landed at No. 6 on Thursday's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays. Sutley is third on the team with 10 points (6G, 4A) this season.
| Buck Shines on the Draw |
• Senior captain Katie Buck has been dominant in center circle, securing a team-high 18 draw controls in her first three games. Buck, who became the 11th student-athlete in program history to surpass 100 career draw controls earlier this season, is fifth in the Big Ten with 6.00 draw controls per game.
| Tough Schedule |
• Including its season opener with Army, Rutgers is set to play eight programs ranked in the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll – No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Northwestern, No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 9 Princeton, No. 12 Michigan, No. 16 Stony Brook, No. 21 Army and No. 23 Penn State.
| Across the NCAA & Big Ten |
Team
Assists Per Game: 11.33 (First Big Ten, fourth NCAA)
Caused Turnovers Per Game: 10.00 (Third Big Ten, 24th NCAA)
Clearing Percentage: .975 (First Big Ten, 13th NCAA)
Draw Control Percentage: .620 (Second Big Ten, 21st NCAA)
Draw Controls Per Game: 16.33 (Second Big Ten, 14th NCAA)
Points Per Game: 26.67 (Second Big Ten, Fifth NCAA)
Shot Percentage: .505 (First Big Ten, 17th NCAA)
Individual
Lily Dixon
Assists: 14 (First Big Ten, Third NCAA)
Assists Per Game: 4.67 (First Big Ten, Fifth NCAA)
Points: 17 (Third Big Ten, 17th NCAA)
Points Per Game: 5.67 (Second Big Ten, 16th NCAA)
Katie Buck
Draw Controls Per Game: 6.00 (Fifth NCAA, 36th NCAA)
Caroline Ling
Goals: 10 (Fifth Big Ten, 33rd NCAA)
Goals Per Game: 3.33 (Fourth Big Ten, 43rd NCAA)
| Against Villanova |
• The Wildcats enter Saturday with a 2-1 record, defeating St. Joseph's, 13-9, at home on Tuesday in their last time out.
• Villanova leads the BIG EAST and is fifth nationally with a .690 draw control percentage. Emma Verhoest is sixth in the country with 11 draw controls per game.
• Elena Torres leads the Wildcats with 11 points this season, while Bella Piselli has scored a team-high eight goals.
• Rutgers leads the all-time series with Villanova, 24-2. The Scarlet Knights have won three of the last four meetings dating back to 2015. RU defeated the Wildcats, 17-4, on March 5, 2022 in their last meeting.
| Up Next |
• Rutgers faces it second ranked foe of the 2026 season when it competes at No. 9 Princeton on Feb. 25 at Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium. First draw is set for 7 p.m., with the game streamed on ESPN+.
