PISCATAWAY, N.J – No. 14 Rutgers women's lacrosse (3-2) lost to No. 15 Princeton (2-1), 18-12, on Wednesday night at SHI Stadium. Tied 8-8 at halftime, the Tigers outscored the Scarlet Knights 6-1 in the fourth quarter to earn the road win in Piscataway.
Senior
Cassidy Spilis netted four goals and added a season-high eight draw controls. Graduate student
Marin Hartshorn netted her first hat trick of the season, while junior
Kate Carolonza produced four points on a goal and three helpers.
Meghan Ball added two caused turnovers and seven draw controls, as Ball and Spilis helped RU to a 19-14 advantage on the draw. But the Tigers used a 26-21 shots-on-goal advantage and forced Rutgers into 12 turnovers to earn win victory.
Rutgers was the first to score thanks to Carolonza, who flipped her first assist of the night to classmate
Ashley Moynahan for a quick 1-0 lead at the 12:30 mark of the opening quarter. Princeton would respond with a 3-0 scoring run before Carolonza found Hartshorn to make it 3-2. Both teams would trade goals, with Princeton owning a 5-3 lead after the first 15 minutes of action.
Spilis' first goal of the night would make it a one-goal game before Princeton would respond and take a 5-8 lead with just under six minutes to play in the half. Rutgers responded with a 3-0 scoring run down the stretch to tie the game at the break. Sophomore
Michelle Warren scored her first-career goal and rookie
Ava Kane added an unassisted score before Ball set up one of the top plays of the season. The two-time national defensive player of the week caused a turnover and outletted to Carolonza, who took it up the field and found Hartshorn to tie the game at 8-8 with 22 seconds in the quarter.
The Tigers would not go away, scoring four goals out of the locker room. Jami McDonald's second of the half gave Princeton a 12-8 lead before Rutgers rallied with a 3-0 scoring run of its own thanks to goals from Carolonza, Spilis and sophomore
Emalie Clothier. Carolonza's unassisted goal at the third-quarter buzzer made it just 12-11 in favor of the visitors.
Princeton would work a 6-1 scoring run in the final 15 minutes to put the game out of reach, as the Tigers won the first meeting between the schools since they last played in 2014.
Up Next
Rutgers heads down south for a pair of games at Vanderbilt. The Scarlet Knights will face Princeton on Saturday, March 11 and play the Commodores on Monday, March 13.
