WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Despite hat tricks from senior captain Samantha Budd and rookie Cassidy Spilis, Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-3) suffered a 16-12 road loss to Monmouth (4-2) on Wednesday afternoon in West Long Branch. Tied 12-12 with 7:30 left in regulation, the Hawks used a 4-0 scoring run to secure their first win over the Scarlet Knights their last four meetings.
 
Spilis' three goals marked the fifth time she has scored three or more goals this season and her seventh multi-goal outing to begin her career. For Budd, it was her third hat trick of 2020. Spilis also recorded an assist, while sophomore Marin Hartshorn and freshman Jenna Byrne dished out two helpers apiece.
 
Rookie goalkeeper Alonna Gliksman recorded 12 saves in the loss, marking the fourth time she has collected double-digit stops in between the pipes. Rookies Meghan Ball and Ashley Campo both caused two turnovers, with Ball adding a team-high three ground balls.
 
The Hawks used a 24-6 advantage on the draw en route to the win at Kessler Field, as Allison Turturro and Caroline Bleck each had five goals for the home squad. Nicole Ceraso produced a game-high nine points on six assists and three goals.
 
It was a back-and-forth game for the majority of the afternoon with 11 lead changes before the Hawks' game-clinching 4-0 scoring run in the final minutes. Rutgers took several of those leads in the first half, as back-to-back goals from junior Julia Lytle and Spilis gave the Scarlet Knights' their biggest lead of the game at 6-4 with 6:05 left in the half. Monmouth added two goals of its own to tie the game at halftime.
 
Spilis gave RU back its lead out of the locker room with her second goal, as the visitors went up 7-6 with 26:45 left to play. Both teams would trade goals throughout the second period before Bleck provided a two-goal advantage for the Hawks at 11-9 at the 15:26 mark in the half. RU tied the game two more times down the stretch – Hartshorn's unassisted strike erased a two-goal deficit, while Budd's unassisted goal made it 12-12 with just under eight minutes to go. However, Bleck, Ceraso and Turturro all netted in the final portion of the game to secure their win.
 
Up Next
Rutgers hosts No. 16 James Madison on Saturday (March 7) for a 1 p.m. matchup at SHI Stadium.