VILLANOVA, Pa. – After a victory over Saint Joseph's brought them back to a winning record, Villanova women's lacrosse (2-1) will welcome another regional rival to Villanova Stadium as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to town on Saturday for a 12 p.m. contest.

A TUESDAY TAKEDOWN    
The midweek matchup saw a bounceback W for the Wildcats as Villanova Stadium was the site of a 13-9 win over Saint Joseph's. The game moved the 'Cats to 2-1 on the year with a pair of victories at home while No. 10 Navy is the only opponent to have toppled VU thus far. Tuesday saw the Wildcats secure a W in a back-and-forth affair, weathering some runs from the Hawks and leaving their home field with a four-goal win. Elena Torres totaled six points while Bella Piselli contributed four goals on the day and Emma Verhoest dominated draw controls, winning 14 herself to lead her team to a 20-4 edge in the category. Anne Edens scored her first career goal with a transition bucket in the fourth quarter, getting the 'Cats to 13 goals where they stayed to win a Big 5 bout.

STRONG PLAY FROM THE SPECIALISTS    
A big reason for two of the victories so far in 2026 has been the specialists for Villanova, getting important contributions out of netminder Makenzie Fisher and draw control specialist Verhoest. The Wildcats knew they had an advantage on the draw in the 5-foot-11 Verhoest, but the junior is already in midseason form as her 11 draw controls per game rank fifth nationally. The Massachusetts native now has double digit DCs herself in the last two games (14 and 10) and led the 'Cats to a 16-draw edge over St. Joe's. Fisher has been important between the pipes, having the best game of her career against Navy despite the loss with 13 saves on the day. She's allowed just 15 goals combined in the other two outings, ranking third in the BIG EAST for saves and fourth in goals against average.

SQUARING OFF WITH THE SCARLET KNIGHTS    
This Saturday will mark the 26th all-time meeting between two Mid-Atlantic rivals as Rutgers makes the trip south to Villanova Stadium for a noon matchup. The Scarlet Knights maintain a 23-2 edge in the all-time series against the 'Cats, though both of VU's wins have come in the last five contests. Villanova has only met Rutgers once under head coach Jill Batcheller, a 17-4 loss during her first year in 2022. The game before that was an 18-12 Wildcat win on the Main Line in 2018, while the inaugural VU victory in the series also came at Villanova Stadium in 2014.

READING INTO RUTGERS

• RU is 2-1 on the young season, winning its last two outings over Delaware and Monmouth after dropping the season opener to No. 21 Army.
• Rutgers is led offensively by sophomore Caroline Ling who's managed 10 goals so far, including five against Army. Jersey Shore native Delainey Sutley was a Big Ten All-Freshman selection last year and has 10 points so far in 2026.
• The Scarlet Knights were picked seventh in the preseason in a loaded Big Ten while Lily Dixon, Charlee Thomas and Hilary Elsner each earned Player to Watch honors.

The bout will stream live on ESPN+ while statistics for the contest are available on StatBroadcast.