HARRISONBURG, Va. – Behind dominant play on both sides of the field, No. 13 Rutgers women's Lacrosse (8-0) defeated No. 21 James Madison (3-4), 12-5, on Sunday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The victory was the Scarlet Knights' second consecutive ranked road win and continued the program's best start to a season in program history at 8-0.

It marked RU's second consecutive win over a ranked opponent, as it also took down No. 18 Temple, 15-9, last Wednesday in Philadelphia. 

Rutgers' defense held the Dukes to a season-low five goals and just one score in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello stopped nine shots for her seventh win of the season. Junior defender Jessica Beneducci caused two turnovers to lead the team, as the Scarlet Knights' defense forced James Madison into 20 turnovers on the afternoon.

RU was also strong on the draw with a 14-7 advantage in that category over the Dukes. Junior Meghan Ball muscled a game-high six, while classmate Cassidy Spilis added five.

Spilis produced another all-around game for the Scarlet Knights, as she scored a game-high five goals to go along with five draw controls, a ground ball and a caused turnover. Graduate students Stephanie Kelly and Taralyn Naslonski registered two goals and two assists apiece. Junior Ashley Campo added two assists, while sophomores Kate Carolonza and Ashley Moynahan each contributed a goal.

Defense was at a premium in the first quarter with a score of just 1-1 after the first 15 minutes of action. Cardello save four goals in the opening stanza, while a goal from Naslonski with under 30 seconds to go in the quarter tied the game.

RU's defense found its groove in the second quarter with five goals before the break. Rutgers opened with a 3-0 scoring run, which included back-to-back goals from Spilis and Naslonski's second of the day for a 4-1 lead. JMU added three goals in the next 10 minutes before RU headed into halftime with a 6-4 lead.

James Madison added a goal out of the locker room before the Scarlet Knights took control for the rest of the game. Spilis added another back-to-back scoring output, which was followed by Kelly to give RU a 9-5 lead with 15 minutes to play.

Rutgers' defense held the home team to just three shots in the fourth quarter and no goals allowed. With the defensive stance, the Scarlet Knights left with a 12-5 road win.

RU returns to action on Sunday, March 20 when it faces No. 4 Maryland in College Park. The noon start will broadcast nationally on ESPNU.