Rutgers women's lacrosse prepares for Big Ten Tournament battle against No. 7 Maryland
The Rutgers women's lacrosse team will travel to College Park, Maryland, to take on Maryland in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (7-9, 1-5) will look for redemption after falling to the Terrapins (12-4, 4-2) earlier this season.
No. 7 Maryland defeated Rutgers 13-8 in March. The Terrapins scored 6 goals in the first quarter before cruising to the 5-goal win. Hannah Leubecker, who scored 6 goals against the Knights, leads Maryland with 45 goals on the season. Eloise Clevenger dished out four assists in the win and has a total of 47 assists. Clevenger's 47 helpers are the most in the Big Ten.
Between the pipes, Emily Sterling has a save percentage of 52.4 and an 8.91 goals-against average, which are both the second-best in the Big Ten. Former Rutgers defender Meghan Ball leads the Terrapins backline with a team-high 30 caused turnovers. Expect Ball to be the one to try to lock down graduate student midfielder Cassidy Spilis.
Overall, the Knights have historically struggled against Maryland, as the latter are 26-1 against the former. The Terrapins are favored once again heading into the matchup.
Rutgers will need its key players, Spilis and senior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello, to perform strongly. Spilis, who was named First Team All-Big Ten unanimously, has netted 68 goals this season. Her impressive tally is tied for the second-most in all of NCAA Divison I women's lacrosse. Cardello's 45.6 save percentage is the fourth-highest in the Big Ten, while her 10.77 goals-against average is the third-best.
Sophomore attacker and midfielder Lily Dixon and junior midfielder and attacker Victoria Goldrick are two players Maryland must look out for as well. Dixon has a team-leading 25 assists, while Goldrick has 13 goals and 23 assists.
Junior midfielder Alexa Corbin, junior midfielder and attacker Michelle Warren and senior midfielder Ashley Moynahan have all chipped in with goals this season as well. Freshman midfielder Payton Tini has scored 17 goals, the second-most on the roster.
The Terrapins are coming off a 16-12 win over Princeton, the No. 18 ranked team in the country. Maryland made it to the Big Ten Tournament Championship last season but fell 14-9 to Northwestern. The Terrapins will be looking to return to the championship game yet again and correct last season's wrongs.
Saturday's contest will begin at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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