Rutgers University
Ohio State
Women’s Lacrosse Faces No. 25 Ohio State Thursday on BTN
Mar 18 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (5-4, 0-1) begins a four-game road swing on Thursday at No. 25 Ohio State (6-2, 1-0) in Columbus. First draw is set for 6 p.m. with a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.
With the country's fourth-hardest schedule and No. 12 RPI, the Scarlet Knights continue a stretch of seven games against ranked opponents in their final 10 dates of the regular season. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 25 in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll, represent the third ranked opponent for RU in as many games and the fifth already this spring.
| Last Time Out |
• RU lost a back-and-forth matchup with No. 8 Johns Hopkins, 15-12, on Sunday at SHI Stadium. Rutgers held a lead in the third quarter, but the Blue Jays closed the afternoon with a 6-2 scoring run to secure the win in both program's Big Ten Conference openers.
• The Scarlet Knights outshot JHU 30-28 and earned a 19-10 advantage on the restart thanks to senior Katie Buck, who reset her single-game program record with 15 draw controls. Buck added three caused turnovers, while sophomore Bianca Chiarella caused a game-high four turnovers in the loss.
• Senior Lily Dixon became the first student-athlete in program history to hit 100 career assists thanks to her four helpers on the day. Rookie Kate Theofield netted a career-high six goals and added an assist for a season-best seven points. Sophomore Caroline Ling also contributed seven points on four assists and three goals.
| Tough Schedule |
• Rutgers is in the midst of playing seven ranked opponents in its final 10 games of the regular season. Including earlier matchups, the Scarlet Knights will have faced nine ranked opponents in the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll by the end of April – No. 3 Maryland, No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Johns Hopkins, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 Stony Brook, No. 17 Princeton, No. 18 Army, No. 21 Penn State and No. 25 Ohio State.
| Theofield B1G Freshman of the Week |
• Kate Theofield was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, announced Tuesday by the conference office. The rookie combined for nine points in the Scarlet Knights' ranked matchups with No. 8 Johns Hopkins and No. 12 Stony Brook this past week.
• Theofield shined on the offensive side of the field on Sunday against the Blue Jays, producing a career-high seven points on six goals and an assist. Her final goal of the day came on a behind-the-back finish that landed on SportsCenter Top 10 – her third time appearing on the segment this season. Theofield also netted two goals against the Seawolves during her impressive week.
| #SCTop10 Regulars |
• Rutgers has appeared on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays four times this spring thanks to highlight goals from Theofield and sophomore Delainey Sutley.
- Delainey Sutley vs. Monmouth
- Kate Theofield at No. 14 Princeton
- Kate Theofield vs. Hofstra
- Kate Theofield vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins
| Dixon the Facilitator |
• Lily Dixon became the first Scarlet Knight in program history to hit 100 career assists when she dished out four on Sunday against Johns Hopkins. With 30 assists this season, Dixon is 10 away from passing Steph Kelly (2022) for the program's single-season record. Dixon's 30 helpers rank second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.
| Buck Shines on the Draw |
• For the second time this season, Katie Buck reset her program single-game record for draw controls with 15 against Johns Hopkins on Sunday. With her 92 draw controls, Buck is first in the Big Ten and 10th nationally with 10.00 draw controls per game.
| Ling on the Offensive |
• Sophomore Caroline Ling has been one of the top scorers in the country this season. The Springboro, Ohio, native is second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with 34 goals, also ranking eighth in the NCAA with 3.78 goals per game. Her 47 points are seventh in the country and second in the conference, while her 8.00 shots on goal per game are ninth nationally.
| Youth Movement |
• Rutgers has had quality offensive production from its sophomores and freshmen this season. Underclassman have accounted for 77 percent of the team's goals (96 out of 124) and 69 percent of the team's points (135 out of 202) this spring.
| About Ohio State |
• The Buckeyes vaulted into the IWLCA Coaches Poll thanks to its 16-15 win over then-No. 4 Northwestern on Sunday in Evanston. Trailing 13-12, OSU produced a 3-1 scoring run down the stretch to secure the road victory against the Wildcats.
• Ohio State is 6-2 on the season and is on a four-game winning streak with victories over Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, Vanderbilt and Northwestern.
• The Buckeyes are fifth nationally in shot percentage (.522) and 13th in scoring offense (15.00).
• Rutgers leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 11-5, which includes wins in the last seven matchups dating back to 2021.
• The Scarlet Knights won last year's matchup, 12-8, in Piscataway. With the Buckeyes ranked No. 21 in the country, RU never trailed and forced OSU into 18 turnovers to secure the win.
| Next Time Out |
• Rutgers hits the West Coast for its next two games, beginning at USC on March 28 in Los Angeles.
