Rutgers University
Army
Women’s Lacrosse Opens 2026 Season Friday with No. 21 Army
Feb 05 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse opens its 2026 season on Friday, hosting No. 21 Army in Piscataway.
Originally slated for SHI Stadium, the game has been moved indoors to the Busch Practice Bubble due to anticipated cold weather and is closed to the public. First draw is set for 5 p.m., with a complimentary live stream provided on the Rutgers Athletics Facebook page.
The Scarlet Knights wrapped up last season with eight victories, including ranked wins over No. 16 Stony Brook and No. 21 Ohio State. RU advanced to the Big Ten Tournament for the fifth consecutive season under head coach Melissa Lehman and faced 11 opponents who appeared in the IWLCA Coaches Poll throughout last season.
Rutgers returns seven of its top nine scorers from a year ago, including 2026 Big Ten Player to Watch Lily Dixon, who led the program with 50 points on 33 assists and 17 goals last spring.
Delainey Sutley (23 goals), Payton Tini (22 goals), Ava Chiarella (16 goals), Samantha Swanovich (16 goals), Caroline Ling (15 goals) and Hilary Elsner (15 goals) also return as double-digit goal scorers from the 2025 campaign.
| Tough Schedule |
• Rutgers is set to face eight teams ranked in the IWLCA Preseason Coaches Poll - No. 2 Northwestern, No. 6 Princeton, No. 7 Maryland, No. 8 Johns Hopkins, No. 15 Michigan, No. 17 Stony Brook, No. 21 Army and No. 24 Penn State.
• Friday's matchup with No. 21 Army marks the third time in six seasons the Scarlet Knights open their schedule with a ranked opponent (2021 opener at No. 21 Penn State; 2023 opener at No. 19 Jacksonville).
• Since 2021, Rutgers has delivered 18 wins over ranked opponents. The list includes four wins over top-10 foes.
| Big Ten Players to Watch |
• Lily Dixon, Hilary Elsner and Charlee Thomas – were named 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch, announced Wednesday by the conference.
• One of the top scorers in the Big Ten, Dixon enters her senior season with 111 points on 72 assists and 39 goals in 50 career games for the Scarlet Knights.
• Elsner appeared in 15 games last year as a true freshman, finishing the 2025 season with 17 points on 15 goals and two assists. Thomas started all 18 games on defense as a true freshman, closing the 2025 season with 16 ground balls, four draw controls and three caused turnovers.
| Upcoming Milestones |
• Lily Dixon
- Dixon is fifth in program history with 72 career assists. She needs four assists to pass Meghan Flanagan (2007-10) for fourth on the all-time list. She needs 21 helpers this season to pass Marin Hartshorn (2019-23) for the most in program history.
- Dixon is tied for 21st all-time at Rutgers with 111 career points. She needs 15 to pass Kristina Dunphey (2014-17) on the all-time points list.
• Katie Buck
- Buck needs three draw controls to become the 11th student-athlete in program history to hit 100 for her career.
• Payton Tini
- Tini enters the season needing 45 points to become the 28th student-athlete in program history to hit 100 for her career.
| Against Army |
• Rutgers is tied with Army, 2-2, in the all-time series that began in 2022. The programs have met in each of the past four seasons, including a tough 10-9 loss to the Black Knights to open last season in West Point. Dixon tallied three points on two assists and a goal, Chiarella scored twice and Buck corralled a then career-high 11 draw controls in the loss.
| Up Next |
• Rutgers faces Delaware on Friday, Feb. 13 in Newark. First draw from Delaware Stadium is set for a 5 p.m. start and will stream on ESPN+.
