PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Freshman Abigail Lee Brooks (Moorestown, N.J.) produced a breakout game with five goals and an assist, but Rutgers women's lacrosse fell to James Madison, 16-11, Saturday afternoon at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Playing in just the second game of her career, Brooks tallied five scores on six shots, including three goals in the second half. Her six points tied for a single-game team high this season, and her five goals marked a season-best for a freshman.
Seniors Halley Barnes (Garnet Valley, Pa.) and Kristina Dunphey (Hillsborough, N.J.) added two goals each for the Scarlet Knights, while Dunphey and senior Kim Kolodny (Farmingdale, N.Y.) led RU with two assists. Freshman goalkeeper Devon Kearns (Marlton, N.J.) had seven saves in the loss.
Trailing 10-8 midway through the second half, sophomore Paige Paratore (West Deptford, N.J.) found Brooks to cut JMU's lead to one. Brooks then hit the back of the net again, this time on a pass from Dunphey to tie the game, 10-10, with 14:50 remaining in the contest. But James Madison would use a 6-0 scoring run down the stretch to hold on to the victory.
Rutgers and JMU traded goals in the first half, as Barnes produced the Scarlet Knights first goal at the 28:22 mark in the period. James Madison added a quick response with a free position goal from Taylor Gress, but Dunphey scored on a unassisted shot to make it 2-1 RU with 24:34 remaining in the half.
James Madison regained the lead thanks to back-to-back goals, and both teams continued to battle on the offensive side during the tightly-contested first half. With 3:22 remaining in the period, Brooks gave Rutgers a 7-6 lead, taking a pass from Kolodny and burring it behind JMU goalkeeper Kaitlin Martindale. The Dukes eventually tied the score with a goal from Jaci Gordon with just over a minute remaining to take a 7-7 result into the locker room.
Rutgers returns to action on Friday, March 25, when the Scarlet Knights travel to Hempstead, N.Y. to compete against Hofstra.
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