PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (3-0) defeated Georgetown (1-2), 15-8, on Saturday afternoon at SHI Stadium. Senior Cassidy Spilis netted a game-high six goals, while graduate student Marin Hartshorn tallied five points on three scores and two helpers as the Scarlet Knights moved to 3-0 for the third time in four seasons under head coach Melissa Lehman.

RU's defense was once again dominant, allowing eight or less goals for the third consecutive outing to begin the season. With her eight draw controls and six caused turnovers, senior Meghan Ball set program records for career caused turnovers and career draw controls with 111 and 230, respectively. Junior Sophia Cardello produced nine saves in the win.

"Our defense really clamped down early on and Cardello registered a ton of saves to give us plenty of offensive possessions," Lehman said. "We found a rhythm on offense as well. We were really patient and were able to find open looks and bury them in the back of the net."

The first half belonged to Rutgers, thanks to a 4-1 scoring run in the first quarter. Spilis netted two goals in the opening stanza, while junior Mikayla Dever and sophomore Emalie Clothier added free-position goals to help the Scarlet Knights to a 4-1 lead through the first 15 minutes of play.

RU shutout the Hoyas in the second quarter, outscoring their opponent, 5-0, before the break. Spilis and junior Kate Carolonza added two goals apiece during the second-quarter run, while a goal from Hartshorn with just over three minutes to play gave Rutgers a 9-1 advantage at halftime.

Hartshorn added another goal out of the locker room before Georgetown settled in with six goals in the third quarter. Kyle Hazen found a cutting Emma Gebhardt with five minutes left in the quarter, as the Hoyas trailed 12-7 ahead of the final period.

Rutgers would leave nothing to chance, netting three consecutive goals in the fourth. Hartshorn, Spilis and junior Ashley Moynahan all scored during the run, as Spilis' sixth of the day helped RU hit the 15-goal mark and all but put the game away.

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Rutgers travels to face Army on Saturday, February 25 in West Point, New York.