Rutgers Women’s Lacrosse prepared for Big Ten semifinals against Maryland

The sixth-seeded Scarlet Knights entered the Big Ten Tournament with high hopes of making a postseason run. Now, Rutgers is one game away from advancing to the championship for the second consecutive year.

After an exciting victory over Johns Hopkins on Saturday, Rutgers will take on second-seeded Maryland, who finished 13-5 this season and 4-2 in the Big Ten.

The semifinal matchup will take place on Thursday night in Columbus, OH at 8:30 PM ET. The game can be seen on Big Ten+ with the winner set to face the winner of Northwestern and Michigan in the final.

In 2022, Rutgers paired up with Maryland in the Big Ten Championship, an 18-8 victory for the Terps.

Rutgers is in this position after a 15-14 victory in the quarterfinal round. The Scarlet Knights trailed by as many as three goals in the game and were down just one at halftime. Rutgers won the second half 7-5 and was able to hold off a late surge by the Blue Jays.

Cassidy Spilis led Rutgers with a season-high seven points, including five goals. She became Rutgers’ all-time leader in goals scored with 191 while also becoming the sixth Scarlet Knight in history to eclipse 200 career points.

As the postseason rolls on, Rutgers will look to secure its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights currently hold three victories over ranked opponents and are ranked 22nd in RPI.

Last season, Rutgers defeated Northwestern to punch its ticket to the Big Ten Championship. Now, it will have to go through the team it lost to in order to return.