PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 24 Rutgers women's lacrosse (4-7) registered one of its biggest wins in program history as it defeated No. 13 Penn State (4-7), 17-16, on Thursday afternoon in Piscataway. The victory over the Nittany Lions was the first for the Scarlet Knights in the all-time series that dates back to 1978 and served as the team's highest-ranked win since it defeated No. 8 Princeton on Feb. 29, 2012.
 
Down 17-16 with 30 seconds left, Penn State held the ball for the final possession with a chance to tie. However, senior caption Julia Lytle slid over in front of a cutting Kristin O'Neill and drew a charge to force the PSU turnover and secure the win. The defensive stop capped another comeback victory for RU, as it overcame an early two-goal, second-half deficit courtesy of a 9-6 scoring run down the stretch.
 
"Today was an awesome team win and I'm really proud of this group," said head coach Melissa Lehman. "We spoke about starting strong and we started the game with a lot of intensity and finished with a lot of energy. It was a full 60 minutes for us."
 
RU produced a balanced scoring attack against the Nittany Lions, as junior Marin Hartshorn and sophomore Jenna Byrne tallied four goals apiece, while sophomore Cassidy Spilis netted her sixth hat trick of the season. Senior Taralyn Naslonski and redshirt freshman Grace Curran contributed two goals and two assists, while Lytle and sophomore Jessica Beneducci each caused two turnovers on the defensive side of the field. Rookie Sophia Cardello logged all 60 minutes in cage and finished with seven saves for her second career win.
 
The Scarlet Knights started the afternoon fast thanks to a 6-2 scoring run in the first 13 minutes of the game. Curran was the standout during the stretch, as she tallied a goal off a free-position attempt and followed with back-to-back assists to Byrne and Hartshorn. Naslonski's unassisted goal with 17:54 to go in the half gave RU a 6-2 lead, it's largest of the day.
 
Penn State fought back with its own 6-2 scoring run after Naslonski's goal, as both teams headed into the locker room tied 8-8. Out of the break, PSU's Olivia Dirks scored two consecutive goals in the first two minutes of the second half to give the Nittany Lions a 10-8 lead with 28:38 to go.
 
Rutgers responded with four consecutive goals, which included scores from Spilis, Naslonski, Hartshorn and rookie Ashley Moynahan to regain the lead at 21:48, with the game set for a back and forth finish. Penn State got to within one goal four separate times, as Maria Auth scored with 1:05 left to make it a 17-16 in favor of the Scarlet Knights. PSU then caused a turnover in the closing second and held the final possession before Lytle's heroics sealed the win.
 
RU closes out the regular season on Sunday, April 18 for senior day against No. 11 Maryland. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. start on BTN Plus.