Rutgers University
Northwestern
No. 22 Women’s Lacrosse Faces No. 2 Northwestern Wednesday
Apr 14 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 22 Rutgers women's lacrosse (10-5, 4-2) faces No. 2 Northwestern (11-3, 5-1) on Wednesday night in Evanston, Illinois. First draw is set for 5 p.m. ET and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Winners of five of their last six outings, the Scarlet Knights vaulted into the IWLCA Coaches Poll after back-to-back wins over No. 6 Michigan and Oregon last week at SHI Stadium. The wins secured RU a spot in this year's Big Ten Tournament, held April 22-26 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
| Last Time Out |
• Rutgers downed Oregon, 21-7, on Sunday afternoon in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights dominated the Ducks from start to finish, with their 14-goal win marking the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since joining the league in 2015. RU's 21 goals were the most in a conference matchup since it defeated Cincinnati, 21-8, on May 2, 2010 when both schools were members of the Big East.
• Sophomore Caroline Ling produced her best offensive game "On the Banks," finishing with a career-high 10 points on four goals and six assists. Freshman Kate Theofield led 11 different goal scorers for Rutgers with a game-high five scores. Junior Alex Popham, sophomore Hilary Elsner and sophomore Delainey Sutley all had two goals in the win.
• As a team, the Scarlet Knights outshot Oregon, 44-20. Senior Katie Buck reset her single-game program draw control record for the third time with 16 draw controls, helping RU to a whopping 26-3 advantage from the center circle.
| Building Its Resume |
• Rutgers possess the eighth-hardest schedule in the NCAA, as its previous opponents own a combined .649 winning percentage. The Scarlet Knights also moved up to No. 13 in the latest RPI released on Sunday.
• RU owns ranked wins over No. 6 Michigan and No. 25 Ohio State, marking the fifth time in six seasons the program has registered multiple ranked wins.
• With Northwestern moving up to No. 2 this week, it marks the first time Rutgers will face both the No. 1 and No. 2 programs in the same season since we began tracking ranked opponents in 2004 (and likely the first time in program history).
• The Scarlet Knights' schedule features eight opponents ranked in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll: No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Maryland, No. 6 Johns Hopkins, No. 11 Michigan, No. 12 Stony Brook, No. 14 Army, No. 19 Penn State, and No. 23 Princeton.
| #SCTop10 Regulars |
• Rutgers has appeared on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays four times this spring thanks to highlight goals from sophomore Delainey Sutley and freshman Kate Theofield.
- Delainey Sutley vs. Monmouth
- Kate Theofield at No. 14 Princeton
- Kate Theofield vs. Hofstra
- Kate Theofield vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins
| Dixon the Facilitator |
• Senior Lily Dixon set the program single season assist record in the 13-12 win over No. 6 Michigan and is up to 44 assists this season. Dixon became the first student-athlete in program history to break 100 career assists earlier this season.
• Dixon is second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally with 44 assists, while her 2.93 assists per game rank 10th in the country. Dixon has also set a personal record for points in a season with 55.
| Buck Shines on the Draw |
• Katie Buck continues to set the program standard on the draw. Her 142 draw controls are a school single season record, surpassing the 141 from Linda Larson in 1981. Buck's 16 in the 21-7 victory over Oregon reset her single game program record for the third time this season and marked her seventh double-digit draw control game of 2026. Buck leads the Big Ten and is 11th nationally with 9.47 draw controls per game.
| Ling Midseason All-American |
• Sophomore Caroline Ling is putting together an All-American caliber seasons in 2026. The Springboro, Ohio, native is second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally with 78 points this season on a team-high 50 goals and 28 assists.
• Already a Nike Lacrosse Midseason Media All-American, Ling combined for 15 points on eight assists and seven goals in Rutgers' back-to-back wins over No. 6 Michigan and Oregon. Her 5.20 points per game are 12th in the NCAA, as she is just two points away from 100 for her career.
| Theofield Rookie Success |
• Rookie Kate Theofield has been one of the best first-year scorers in the NCAA. The Smithtown, New York, native is second nationally amongst freshmen and first in the Big Ten with 40 goals this season.
| Youth Movement |
• Underclassmen have accounted for 78 percent of the team's goals (161/207) and 68 percent of the team's points (232/338) this spring.
| About Northwestern |
• The Wildcats enter Wednesday with an 11-3 record, a 5-1 record and a six-game winning streak. Northwestern earned a 17-12 win at Penn State over the weekend in its last time out.
• Northwestern features No. 4 scoring offense in the country (15.71) and lead the Big Ten in clearing percentage (.928), draw controls per game (17.00), scoring margin (6.21) and shots per game (34.50).
• Madison Taylor is first in the Big Ten and third nationally with 92 points this season. She leads the conference with 6.57 points per game and has netted a league-best 68 goals this spring.
• Jenika Cuocco is second in the conference with 8.36 saves per game and is third with 117 stops on the season. Madison Smith is fourth in the Big Ten with 6.57 draw controls per game.
• Northwestern leads the all-time series, 19-1.
| Next Time Out |
• Rutgers wraps up the regular season on Saturday against No. 18 Penn State. First draw from SHI Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
