PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 14 Rutgers women's lacrosse (6-0) defeated Villanova (1-5), 17-4, on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway. With its unblemished 6-0 record, the Scarlet Knights secured their best start to a season in the program's 46-year history.
 
Senior captain Marin Hartshorn, junior Cassidy Spilis and sophomore Kate Carolonza all produced hat tricks in the win, while graduate student Stephanie Kelly added two goals and two assists in the win. With her free-position goal in the third quarter, Spilis became the 27th player in program history to hit the 100-point milestone.
 
On the defensive end, junior Meghan Ball secured another strong showing with her game-high five ground balls, four caused turnovers and three draw controls. Sophomore Sophia Cardello allowed just four goals en route to her fifth win of the season. RU forced Villanova into a season-high 23 turnovers, while the four goals allowed marked the least in a victory since it defeated LIU, 15-4, on Feb. 13, 2018.

"Our defense gave us so many opportunities and possession against a team who is good on the draw," said head coach Melissa Lehman. "We scored a lot of great goals, were patient and got a lot of people involved. It was a complete team effort today."
 
Rutgers outscored Villanova 4-1 in the first quarter, as back-to-back goals from Hartshorn off passes from juniors Jenna Byrne and Ashley Campo made it a 4-1 game after the first 15 minutes of play. The Scarlet Knights allowed just two more goals in the second quarter before Hartshorn's third goal of the game made it an 8-3 game at the break.

The Scarlet Knights put the game out of reach in the third quarter with five consecutive goals out of halftime. Spilis opened the frame with the 100th point of her career with 13:23 to go in the quarter. Ball followed with a highlight-reel goal off her caused turnover, as she took it the length of the field to finish on her own.

RU closed the game out with four goals in the fourth quarter. 

Up Next
Rutgers plays at No. 18 Temple on Wednesday, March 9 in Philadelphia. The game is set for a 6 p.m. ET draw.