WLAX Defeats No. 18/12 James Madison, 12-9
Mar 11 | Women's Lacrosse
HARRISONBURG, Va.- Joanna Reilly recorded a hat trick, Amanda Turturro dished out five assists and Nicole Kopyta and Samantha Budd each had two scores to help Rutgers women's lacrosse notch a 12-9 victory over No. 18/12 James Madison on Saturday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The win was the first over a ranked opponent since the Scarlet Knights defeated No. 19 Ohio State on May 5, 2016 in last year's Big Ten Tournament. It was also the first victory against the Dukes since 2014.
Three players - Budd, Kopyta and Reilly - produced multiple goals for RU, led by Reilly's three scores. Eight players found the back of the net on Saturday afternoon, while Turturro's five assists marked a career high. Kristina Dunphey also pitched in two assists to help the cause.
"It was a total team effort today and I'm so proud of this group," said head coach Laura Brand-Sias. "We controlled some vital aspects of the game at key times and fought for a full 60 minutes. James Madison is a very talented program, so we're excited to build off of this victory."
Junior goalie Bianca Dente continued her strong play from between the pipes, as she recorded six saves and held James Madison to just nine scores. It was the second straight opponent Rutgers has held under 10 scores.
James Madison added two straight goals before Kopyta scored on an assist from Dunphey to make it 2-1 at the 14:45 mark in the first half. Both sides traded scores before the Scarlet Knights went on a 4-0 scoring run. Reilly delivered back-to-back goals, with her second extending RU's lead, 6-3. Kopyta and senior Kerri Puckhaber also found the back of the net during the stretch.
The Dukes attempted to close the gap with back-to-back strikes, but Rutgers held on to a 6-5 lead into halftime.
Two straight goals from leading scorer Kristen Gaudin gave James Madison a 7-6 lead with 22:34 remaining in the second half. Rutgers responded with another 4-0 run from four different Scarlet Knights, started by Turturro's lone goal of the day. Dunphy, Dana Gisonno and Paige Paratore also scored as RU owned a 10-7 lead with 16 minutes to play.
JMU got to as close as 11-9 at the eight minute mark in the half, but Turturro found Budd in the closing minutes to put the game out of reach.
Rutgers returns to action on Tuesday, March 14, when the Scarlet Knights host Manhattan at 3:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• This was the first win against a ranked opponent since Rutgers defeated No. 19 Ohio State in overtime, 11-10, on May 5, 2016 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Scarlet Knights are now 2-3 all-time against James Madison, as the victory was the first against the school since March 15, 2014 at High Point Solutions Stadium. James Madison was also ranked in that game at No. 20.
• RU moved to 2-1 against CAA opponents this season. Rutgers defeated Drexel, 9-8, last week and fell to Delaware, 15-5, on Feb. 25 on the road.
• Reilly's three goals were the most she has scored in a game this season.
Turturro's five helpers marked a career-high, topping the four helpers she had against Hofstra on March 25, 2016. Her six points tied a career-high set earlier this season against Lafayette.
• Kopyta has now collected multiple games in each Rutgers' first seven games. She now leads the • Scarlet Knights with 15 goals this season. In total, eight Scarlet Knights have recorded multiple goals in a game this year.
• Gisonno recorded her first career goal in the win.
• Three Scarlet Knights - Paratore, Budd and Alana Navaroli - each had three draw controls to lead RU in that category.
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