Rutgers University
Michigan
Women's Lacrosse Defeats Michigan, 16-14
Apr 13 | Women's Lacrosse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Senior Kristina Dunphey, redshirt junior Nicole Kopyta and freshman Samantha Budd all produced hat-tricks as Rutgers women's lacrosse (8-6, 2-2 Big Ten) defeated Michigan (5-11, 1-4 Big Ten), 16-14, Thursday night in Ann Arbor.
The Scarlet Knights moved to 2-2 in Big Ten conference action and currently sit fourth in the league standings with just two regular-season games left.
"Not our best performance, but we were put in a position to fight and we did," said head coach Laura Brand-Sias. "We are going to be proud of that and learn as much as we can from this game."
Junior Bianca Dente recorded seven saves, including a clutch stop in the final seconds to secure her eighth win of the season. Sophomore Abbey Brooks led RU with three ground balls, while junior Paige Paratore caused three UM turnovers.
It was all Scarlet Knights to start the game, as RU contributed a 4-0 scoring run to begin the contest. Dunphey was the first to strike, as the Hillsborough, New Jersey, native drilled an unassisted goal for the early 1-0 lead at the 27:10 mark. Brooks and senior captain Macy Scott each added scores of their own before Dunphey converted a nice spin-move strike to make it 4-0 Rutgers with 21:47 left in the half.
Three goals from the Wolverines brought the score to 5-3 before Budd added back-to-back conversions in a span of 52 seconds. Budd's free-position attempt found the back of the net with just over 12 minutes to go in the half as the Scarlet Knights went up, 7-3.
From there, RU closed out the half on a 4-2 run. Down the stretch, Dunphey secured her fifth hat-trick of the year before Kopyta rocketed a pass from Budd in the back of the UM net. Dunphey then added her fourth goal with just seven seconds to go to give Rutgers an 11-5 halftime lead.
The Scarlet Knights forced 12 first half Michigan turnovers and outshot the Wolverines, 16-10, heading into the locker room.
Michigan scored first in the second half, as Kim Coughlan's fourth goal of the night made it 11-6 in favor of Rutgers. But senior Amanda Turturro quickly responded with her second of the contest to give the Scarlet Knights a 12-6 lead with 28:47 left.
Back-to-back strikes courtesy of Coughlan and Adriana Pendino decreased RU's lead to just four at the 24:04 mark in the second half. Kopyta added a goal off a UM deflection to put RU up, 13-8, as Michigan would not go away. Coughlan's eighth goal of the night with nine minutes to play made it just 15-13 in favor of the road squad.
With the momentum turning in the Wolverine's favor, Budd contributed her third goal, while Dente's impressive save in the final seconds helped RU secure the win.
The Scarlet Knights return to Piscataway for its final home game of the season, as they host No. 16 Northwestern on Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. The game is part of Rutgers Athletics' "Spring Fever" event, which includes the annual Scarlet-White game along with a free concert by Grammy-nominated country music artists Big & Rich.
GAME NOTES
• Rutgers is now 3-0 all-time against Michigan with the series dating back to 2015.
• RU's 11 goals were the most in a first half this season.
• Kristina Dunphey has now scored two or more goals in five-straight games dating back to RU's victory over Ohio State on March 24. Dunphey has produced 14 goals in that span and now has 119 points in her Scarlet Knight career.
• With her two goals Thursday night, Amanda Turturro now has 98 points in her career. With two more points, Turturro will become the 24th player in program history to reach the milestone.
• Nicole Kopyta now has 10 games with two or more goals this season to lead the team in that category.
• Samantha Budd had a season-high four points (3g, 1a) against the Wolverines. She previously had three points earlier this season against Lafayette.
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.
