PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Junior Allie Ferrara secured her first hat trick of the season and classmate Dana Gisonno added two goals, but Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-3, 0-0) suffered a 16-8 loss to No. 7/3 James Madison (7-0, 0-0) Saturday afternoon at High Point Solutions Stadium.
 
Seniors Kerri Puckhaber and Joanna Reilly and freshman Taralyn Naslonski all contributed goals in the loss, while junior Devon Kearns added nine saves off the bench in the second half for the Scarlet Knights.
 
The Dukes, who entered Saturday's game No. 3 in the CASCADE Medial Poll with wins over two ranked foes already this season, outshot Rutgers, 32-21, and produced eight goals in the second half to secure the win. Kristen Gaudian led JMU with five goals and three assists, while Hanna Haven contributed a hat trick and two helpers.
 
"James Madison is a good team and we needed a solid performance all around today," said head coach Laura Brand Sias. "Unfortunately, we didn't do that. There is a lot to learn from this and we are excited to get after it and get better."
 
Gaudian produced back-to-back-goals to start the game before Puckhaber found a cutting Reilly for RU's first score of the contest at the 23:31 mark. James Madison responded with two more goals when Ferrara converted her first score of the day to make it a 4-2 game with 15:22 left in the half.
 
The offense would run through Ferrara down the stretch in the opening period, as she took a pass from senior Paige Paratore and buried her second of the day to make it just a 7-3 deficit. Her third goal of the day, courtesy of a free position attempt, with just over two minutes remaining in the half made it an 8-4 score at halftime.

Here's Allie's third goal of the day to cut into the JMU lead late in the first half. #RUWLAX pic.twitter.com/o9W3VCeZEw

— Rutgers Women's Lax (@rulaxbrand) March 10, 2018

 
After she was fouled, Puckhaber converted a free position score to make it an 8-5 game with 26:08 left in the second half. The goal marked the closest Rutgers would get, however, as James Madison used a 5-0 run to put the game out of reach down the stretch.
 
Rutgers returns to action on Tuesday, March 13, when it travels to Philadelphia for a 7 p.m. game at Villanova.
 
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.