Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers women's lacrosse picked up its first win of 2017 Saturday afternoon at High Point Solutions Stadium by a 12-11 final against in-state foe Monmouth. The Hawks (1-2) rallied to within one after trailing 12-6, but the Scarlet Knights (1-1) won a key draw control with 31 seconds left that allowed them to ice the victory.

"We did a really good job," said head coach Laura Brand-Sias. "For whatever reason the way we match up against Monmouth it always ends up being a battle down the stretch. I think we could've done a better job in the second half of controlling the time of possession but at the end of the day we battled and we pulled it out. We're happy with that and we have some great things to learn from this game."

Senior Kristina Dunphey led RU with a hat trick, while three other players - Abbey Brooks, Nicole Kopyta and Amanda Turturro - also scored two goals apiece for multi-goal outings. Kopya recorded her second-straight two-goal performance, also adding an assist for a career-high three points.

Goalkeeper Bianca Dente had another big game in cage, making 11 saves for her first win of the season. The Scarlet Knight defense was solid for most of the game until Monmouth's late surge with seven minutes to play. RU caused nine turnovers overall, led by junior Kerri Puckhaber with two.

Puckhaber also got it done on the offensive end of the field, registering a team-high four points and personal-best three assists. Junior midfielder Paige Paratore gathered a game-high five draw controls, none bigger than the one she possessed with less than 30 seconds to play.

Monmouth caught fire after trailing 12-6, scoring five-straight from four different players to pull within one goal. On the ensuing draw control with 34 seconds left, Paratore swept in and gathered possession, leading to a Rutgers timeout and win.

Monmouth's Nicole Ceraso led all point-scorers with five in the game. Ceraso posted a hat trick and two assists, with teammates Kate Ryan and Claudia LaMarca finishing with two goals each.

Rutgers hits the road for the first time this season on Tuesday, Feb. 21 to face Lafayette.

GAME NOTES
• RU snapped a two-game skid against Monmouth to improve to 12-2 all-time against the Hawks.
• The Scarlet Knights went a perfect 12-for-12 on clear attempts Saturday.
• Kopyta scored two goals for the second-straight game and is tied for the team lead with four.
• Puckhaber's career-high three assists put her in the points lead with six overall this season (2g, 4a).
• Paratore tied a career-high with five draw controls.

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