PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 13 Rutgers women's lacrosse (9-1, 1-1) completed a come-from-behind win over No. 20 Johns Hopkins (5-5, 0-2), 12-11, on Saturday night in Piscataway. Senior
Marin Hartshorn found graduate student
Taralyn Naslonski with six seconds left to help the Scarlet Knights to their third win over a ranked opponent this season and first Big Ten Conference victory of the 2022 campaign.
Down by as much as four goals midway through the third quarter, RU completed a 7-2 scoring run to get itself in position for the conference home win. With the score knotted at 11-11, Hartshorn held the ball at the top of the eight meter during the final possession. Hartshorn flipped behind to Naslonski, who came from right to left to receive the pass. The captain then beat three JHU defenders and goalkeeper Kathleen Garvey with her second goal of the night to propel RU to victory.
Naslonski's fourth point of the night tied her with Katie Batiuk (2004-07) for second all-time at Rutgers with 216 for her career. Naslonski is just 16 points shy of tying the program record in points with Denise Reed (1987-90) at 232.
"Our offense was just working together and working the ball," Naslonski said. "Cassidy [Spilis] was having a great day, so we were trying to get her the ball but they were guarding her really well. Marin called for the flip and and I came off of it. That goal was all Marin. She set me up perfectly."
Rutgers trailed 9-5 at the 8:24 mark in the third quarter after Johns Hopkins' Shelby Harrison converted the free-position attempt. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 3-0 scoring run to close the quarter and added four more in the final 15 minutes to secure the come-from-behind victory.
"We talk about finishing and fighting until the end," said head coach
Melissa Lehman. "This team just believes in themselves and they fight until the end. That gritty play down the stretch is what won us the game today."
Junior
Cassidy Spilis was dominant on the offensive attack for Rutgers with her game-high five goals, which included four in the second half. Naslonski and graduate student
Stephanie Kelly each had four points on two goals and two assists, while Hartshorn dished out two assists in the win.
Sophomore
Ashley Moynahan was electric off the bench for RU, as she contributed three caused turnovers, three draw controls, two ground balls and a goal off a JHU turnover that tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Junior
Meghan Ball also added three caused turnovers in the game. Sophomore
Sophia Cardello registered nine saves for her eighth win of the season.
Johns Hopkins controlled much of the pace in the first half. Tied 5-5 in the second quarter, the Blue Jays fired off back-to-back goals to take a 7-5 lead into halftime. Johns Hopkins held an 8-6 advantage on the draw and outshot Rutgers, 17-13, before the break.
The Blue Jays added two more goals out of the locker room to lead 9-5 with 8:24 left in the third quarter. It was then when RU went to work on both sides of the ball. Hartshorn found Spilis at the 7:42 mark in the quarter to spark a 3-0 scoring run, capped by an unassisted goal from Spilis to make it 9-8 Johns Hopkins heading into the fourth quarter.
JHU's Madison McPherson added the first goal of the final quarter for a 10-8 lead, but the Scarlet Knights closed the game on a 4-1 scoring run. Spilis whipped an scored her fourth of the night, while Moynahan took advantage of a Blue Jays's mistake on a clear attempt to tied the game 10-10 with five minutes left to play.
Spilis' fifth goal of the night with 3:45 to play gave RU its first lead since early in the first quarter. Johns Hopkins tied the game a minute later to set up the dramatic finish.
Rutgers hosts No. 12 Michigan on Thursday, March 31 in Piscataway. The 7 p.m. ET start is set for a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.
