UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women’s lacrosse returns home after three weeks on the road to take on Rutgers in a midweek primetime game.
First draw between Penn State and the Scarlet Knights is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at Panzer Stadium on Thursday, April 2.
Game Info
Who: Penn State vs. Rutgers
What: Your Game Your Cause
Where: University Park, Pa. – Panzer Stadium
When: Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. (ET)
Nittany Lions vs. Rutgers
Penn State owns the all-time series against Rutgers. The Nittany Lions boast a 24-2 lead, including winning the first 21 meetings. Rutgers had not stolen a victory until the 2021 season, when the Scarlet Knights took a narrow 17-16 win. Rutgers also grabbed an 18-13 win in 2022, but PSU has won the three most recent contests.
Penn State and Rutgers last faced off in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, with the Blue and White taking home a 17-8 win to advance to the championship. In the contest, then-freshman Kelly MacKinney posted six points on two goal and four assists. Lauren Saltz had a hat trick, Erika Ho had two scores, and Brooke Hoss tallied one to round out players on the 2025 roster to score in the game.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
Rutgers enters the weekend with an 8-4 overall record, including a 2-1 conference mark. The Scarlett Knights have faced five ranked opponents this season, securing upsets over #16 Stony Brook and #21 Ohio State.
The Scarlet Knights have one of the nation’s top goalkeepers in Lexie Coldiron. She has Rutgers ranking seventh nationally in save percentage with a team mark of 52 percent. Coldiron’s personal save percentage of .517 ranks ninth in Division I and third in the Big Ten. Her 123 saves are the third most in the country.
For her efforts, Coldiron was named a midseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse and was added to the most recent round of the Tewaaraton Watch List. The netminder earned a nod preseason from the Big Ten conference offices, being named a Player to Watch. She was joined by teammates Emalie Clothier and Alexa Corbin
Last Time Out
A back-and-forth battle at U-M Lacrosse Stadium saw Penn State claim its first ranked with of the season when the Nittany Lions downed No. 10 Michigan, 13-12, in an overtime thriller.
Ho displayed her dominance, totaling five goals and one assist to total six points while winning five draw controls in the victory. Brooke Hoss contributed her second-straight hat-trick, also putting up one assist. Emma Kelly was the other multi-goal scored for PSU, adding two goals and three draw control wins, including the game-winning goal in the overtime stanza. Kelly MacKinney and Brooke Long also helped secure the road ranked win with one goal apiece.
Defensively, Sydney Manning made 11 saves on the afternoon between the pipers, nearly reaching her career high. Lauren Saltz was a force at the draw, earning six wins to lead Penn State to a 16-13 draw control tally.
Preseason Nods
In the Big Ten preseason poll, the Nittany Lions were picked to finish fifth.
Senior Ellie Hollin raked in the preseason recognitions. She has been named a consensus preseason first-team All-American and earned a spot on the Tewaaraton watch list.
Hollin also earned nod from the conference offices, being named a Big Ten Player to Watch. She joined sophomores Sydney Manning and Kelly MacKinney on the list.
Getting Younger
Where the Nittany Lions returned 29-of-33 players from 2023 to 2024 roster, the 2025 roster boasts 24 sophomores and freshmen by class eligibility.
Manning and MacKinney highlight the group after their breakout seasons in 2024.
MacKinney returns as the fourth-leading scorer from last year. The then-freshmen posted 39 points on 14 goals and 25 assists. The attacker ranked in top ten in the conference and led the team with her assist total and assist per game mark (1.32).
Manning was named the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season. The then-freshman has started 16 games in her rookie campaign, making 100 saves. She also scooped up 24 ground balls. The netminder made 15 save in the upset victories over No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Maryland in 2024.
Fresh Faces
Penn State adds 12 freshmen to the 2024 roster: Dakota Cristo, Arden Jansen, Alexa Kairis, Brooke Lattanzi, Brooke Long, Allie Meyer, Maggie Rezza, Porter Rhoades, Ava Stummer, Victoria Tomonto, Grace Tullock, and Ellie Wisch.
In addition to the rookies, Penn State added transfers Lily Strohecker (Navy) and Delaney Radin (Florida).
On the Lookout
- Delaney Radin is eight points away from 25 on her career.
- Emma Kelly is seven goals away from 50 in her career.
- Ellie Hollin surpassed 100 career ground balls in the win at Michigan.
- Kelly MacKinney is four goals away from 25 on her career. She needs three points to hit 75.
- Sydney Manning is 27 saves away from 200 in her career.
Up Next
A quick turnaround awaits women’s lacrosse as the team next takes on Ohio State on Sunday, April 6. First Draw between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes is set for 12 p.m. at Panzer Stadium, when the team celebrates Youth Lacrosse Day and Alumni Day.