PISCATAWAY, N.J. –. 17 Rutgers women's lacrosse (3-0) remained undefeated after it muscled a 17-16 come-from-behind win over Georgetown (1-1) on Saturday in Washington D.C. Down 11-7 at halftime ad 14-9 midway through the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights outscored the Hoyas, 8-2, in the final 22 minutes of the game to pick up the program's first win over Georgetown since the 1999 season.

With the Scarlet Knights down 15-12 at the 12:43 mark in the fourth quarter, RU closed out the game with a 5-1 scoring run. Sophomore Kate Carolonza tied the game at 15-15 off a pass from graduate student Stephanie Kelly, while junior Cassidy Spilis added back-to-back goals, including the game-winner with four minutes to go, to secure the road win.

"I'm super proud of this team," said head coach Melissa Lehman. "We spoke at halftime about how it is a long game and we just needed to take it one play at a time and never lose heart. We competed and played for one another and were able to secure the win."

Spilis finished with a team-high four goals, Kelly produced a game-high six points on three goals and three assists, and graduate student Taralyn Naslonski added a hat trick in the victory.

Despite Georgetown's 24-13 advantage on the draw, RU's defense held the Hoyas to just five goals in the second half. Junior defender Jessica Beneducci caused a team-high three turnovers and added two ground balls. Inserted between the pipes in the second half, rookie Caleigh Forti allowed just two goals in 23 minutes of action for her first-career win.

With the momentum in Rutgers' favor midway through the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Knights' offense went to work. Kelly rocketed a pass to a cutting Carolonza with 7:27 to go in the game, as Carolonza swung across her body for the finish.

Spilis then took over the scoring load for the following two possession. The preseason All-American faked left and spun right to give RU its first lead of the day. Kelly followed with her third assist of the day to a cutting Spilis from behind cage for what would be the game-winning goal with 3:58 left.

It was a terrific finish for Rutgers after its slow start. Georgetown benefited from an 8-1 advantage on the draw in the first quarter with five consecutive goals to close out the opening period, as the scoring run gave the Hoyas a 7-2 lead after the first 15 minutes of play.
 
The Scarlet Knights settled down in the second quarter as it outscored the home team, 5-4, during the period. Spills' goal with 4:49 left jump started a quick 3-1 scoring run, as Carolonza and Naslonski added scores before the break. Georgetown produced a goal right before the halftime buzzer, but RU trailed just 11-7 at halftime.

After Georgetown extended its lead to five with eight minutes to go in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights ended the day with an 8-2 scoring run en route to its third win of the season.
 

UP NEXT

• Rutgers hosts Lehigh on Saturday, Feb. 26. The game is set for a 1 p.m. ET start and will stream via Big Ten Plus.

NOTABLES

• Saturday's win was just the fourth for Rutgers in the all-time series with Georgetown and the program's first since a 13-9 victory on April 2, 1999 in Piscataway. The Hoyas lead the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights, 21-4, and met for the first time in 1991.
• RU has now started 3-0 in two out of Lehman's first three seasons as head coach. The Scarlet Knights opened the 2020 campaign 4-0 in Lehman's first season "On the Banks"
• With her three goals, Naslonski (188) is just 12 points away from becoming the fourth player in RU history to produce 200 career points. joining Denise Reed (232; 1987-90), Katie Batiuk (216; 2004-07) and Heather Jones (206; 1991-94).
• With her four goals, Spilis (89) is just 11 points away from 100 for her career.