COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (3-6) tied the game late in the second half but came up just short in a 14-12 loss at No. 9 Maryland (6-3) on Thursday night in College Park. Junior
Marin Hartshorn produced a career-high eight points on five assists and three goals, as Hartshorn, senior
Hannah Hollingsworth and sophomore
Cassidy Spilis netted hat tricks against the Terrapins.
Down 12-9 at the 11:56 mark in the second half, the Scarlet Knights mounted a 3-0 scoring run, capped by Hollingsworth's third goal of the night off the feed from Hartshorn to make it a 12-12 game with six minutes to play. But UMD closed out the ranked matchup with two goals in the final four minutes for the win.
RU outshot Maryland, 30-29, and won the 50/50 battle by a 15-12 margin, as Spilis secured a game-high six draw controls. Senior
Julia Lytle added three points on two goals and a helper, while sophomore
Lauren Ellis collected her second goal of the season. Inserted in cage midway through the first half, rookie
Sophia Cardello stopped four crucial shots during the second half to keep Rutgers within striking distance.
"We just stuck to our game plan and played for one another," said head coach
Melissa Lehman. "This team has a ton of fight, and I'm proud of the way they battled and chipped away one goal at a time. To come back in the second half and tie it up late is a testament to the belief they have in one another."
The score was tied three times during the first 10 minutes of the night, as Hartshorn rocketed a free-position attempt to make it 3-3 with 18:57 left in the first half. Maryland would score five straight goals for its biggest lead of the game, but Rutgers answered with its own 4-0 run in the final four minutes before the break. Hartshorn connected on back-to-back attempts, Hollingsworth added her second and Spilis converted an unassisted strike during the half's final possession as RU trailed just 8-7 heading into the locker room.
Maryland would score two consecutive goals out of the break but was held in check thanks to Cardello, as the freshman stopped four shots, including back-to-back attempts at the 20 minute mark to keep it a two-goal game. Hartshorn would then find Spilis to cut RU's lead to one before the Terrapins netted two goals for its 12-9 lead with 12 minutes to play.
The Scarlet Knights made another run at the lead with a 3-0 scoring run for the late tie. Hartshorn set up three consecutive goals, which included a pass from the backside of the cage to a cutting Hollingsworth to tie the score. However, Maryland would convert on two scoring opportunities, including an open-net goal in the final minute for the 14-12 win.
Rutgers remains in Maryland for its next game as it faces Johns Hopkins on Sunday in Baltimore. The noon ET start is slated for a national broadcast on ESPNU.
