Rutgers University
Niagara
Women's Lacrosse Tops Niagara, 18-8
Mar 28 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Thanks to 10 different players finding the back of the cage, Rutgers women's lacrosse earned an 18-8 victory over Niagara Tuesday night at High Point Solutions Stadium. Senior Kristina Dunphey added her second hat trick in as many games, sophomore Abbey Brooks collected her first three-goal outing of the season and junior Kerri Puckhaber contributed five points as the Scarlet Knights produced its highest single-game goal total of the year.
"We played well in spurts, so we're going to be happy with this win," said head coach Laura Brand-Sias. "At halftime, we spoke about playing with our own identity regardless of who our opponent is. We just tried to match the intensity we had Friday night. We lacked that in the first half, but I think we did a better job in the second half of picking that up."
RU has now won five of its last six games dating back to its 9-8 overtime victory against Drexel on March 4. Rutgers outshot the Purple Eagles, 36-15, as it contributed 15 or more goals for the third time in its past four appearances.
In addition to Dunphey and Brooks' hat tricks, four other Scarlet Knights - Puckhaber, senior Kelsey Cuje, redshirt junior Nicole Kopyta and senior Macy Scott - each added two goals to RU's tally. Puckhaber and senior Amanda Turturro dished out three assists, while Rutgers corralled 18 grounds balls.
Dunphey jumpstarted RU's 5-0 scoring run to open the game with an unassisted try for the first goal of the contest. Scott, Brooks and juniors Joanna Reilly and Paige Paratore all contributed to the run before Niagara responded with an unassisted goal from Samantha Brill to make it 5-1 at the 18:42 mark.
NU added another score before Koptya converted the goal of the game. Junior Sydney Quinn found Kopyta between a host of Niagara defenders, as Kopyta proceeded to fling her shot one-handed over her right shoulder to complete the impressive play.
The Purple Eagles added three more scores in the first half before Rutgers closed out the period with three-straight goals, including two from Puckhaber and one from freshman Samantha Budd. That gave the Scarlet Knights a 10-4 advantage at halftime.
RU's four unanswered goals out of the locker room put the game out of reach, as Cuje's third of the season extended the lead, 14-5, with 23 minutes remaining. Brooks provided her second and third scores down the stretch to help the Scarlet Knights secure the victory.
Rutgers returns to action on Saturday, when it hosts No. 7 Cornell at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Rutgers has now won five of its past six games dating back to March 4, outscoring its opponents, 76-53, during that span.
• Tonight's goal total (18) was the most for the Scarlet Knights in a single game this season and the most since they scored 19 against Lafayette on March 16, 2016.
• RU also produced the most points (27) and tied for the most assists (9) in a single game this year.
• Kristina Dunphey has now scored 13 goals in her last five games, which includes back-to-back hat tricks and a five-goal outing against Manhattan on March 15.
• Nicole Kopyta has scored in all but one game this season, has produced multiple goals in nine contests and is tied for the team lead with Dunphey at 20 goals. Rutgers is 7-3 when she finds the back of the net.
• Kerri Puckhaber's five points (2g, 3a) were a career-high for the junior, whose previous career-best was four points. Puckhaber's three assists tied a career-high set against Monmouth earlier this season.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers women's lacrosse, follow the program Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram @RULaxBrand. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
