Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
#13 Rutgers
No. 5 Wildcats Look to Defend Big Ten Tournament Title
5/5/2022 11:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
| NORTHWESTERN LACROSSE: GAME INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | Opponent | TIME | LOCATION | Watch | Live Stats |
| Friday, May 6 | No. 13 Rutgers | 7 p.m. CT | SHI Stadium Piscataway, N.J. |
Big Ten Network | Live Stats |
| Social: Twitter: @NULax | Instagram: @nu_lax | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 5 Northwestern women's lacrosse team looks to win its third straight Big Ten Tournament as it travels to Piscataway, N.J. for this year's edition of the tournament. The second seeded Wildcats will face third seeded and host Rutgers at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, May 6. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Standings Shakedown
Northwestern (13-3, 5-1 B1G) finished the regular season in second place in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Big Ten Tournament History
The Wildcats are 8-4 overall in Big Ten tournament games, and own the second-best win percentage (.667) in the tournament's six-year history. Last season, Northwestern won its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title, defeating Rutgers, 24-14, and Maryland, 17-12. In 2019, NU tallied victories against Michigan (19-9) and Maryland (16-11).
Last Time Out
Maryland clinched the Big Ten regular season title with a 15-9 win over the 'Cats on Saturday, April 23. Jill Girardi led the way for the Northwestern offense with three goals and seven draw controls. Erin Coykendall and Carleigh Mahoney added a goal and an assist apiece.
'Cat Facts
- Northwestern leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth nationally scoring 16.4 goals per game.
- Northwestern leads the Big Ten and is second nationally in draw controls per game (18.88). Girardi also leads the Big Ten and is ranked second nationally with 10.64 draws per game.
- Gilbert's 63 goals lead the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.
Series History vs. Rutgers
Northwestern is 16-0 all time against the Scarlet Knights, including this season's 21-13 victory on April 7 in Evanston. Lauren Gilbert tallied a career-high nine points (8g, 1a) and set a career-high in goals. Jill Girardi recorded 19 draw controls, the second-highest single-game mark in program history. Behind 10 second half goals, the 'Cats pulled away in the fourth quarter after holding a two-goal lead at halftime. NU's 21 goals are the most Rutgers has allowed all-season. The Scarlett Knights tied their single-season program record in wins this year, with a 14-3 (4-2 B1G) ledger.
Up Next
If the Wildcats win their semifinal game on Friday night, they will face the winner of No. 1 seed Maryland and No. 4 seed Johns Hopkins at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, May 8.
