PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (6-6, 0-4) muscled a 14-8 win over Hofstra (7-5, 4-0) on Wednesday night in Piscataway. With the game delayed an hour due to lightning storms and constant rain and wind throughout play, the Scarlet Knights never trailed and led by as much as 11 goals in the out-of-conference victory over the Pride.

Senior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello stopped 10 shots and is now two saves away from becoming the sixth player in program history with 500 for her career. Cardello earned the win against her younger sister, Luchianna, who produced 10 saves of her own in cage for Hofstra. The win was also RU's 24th in 34 meetings with the Pride – the longest series in program history.

Junior Victoria Goldrick produced a career-high six points on four assists and two goals – one of five from Rutgers to earn three or more points in the win. Graduate student Cassidy Spilis netted a game-high five goals and is now 11 points away from passing assistant coach Taralyn Naslonski for the most in school history. Sophomore Lily Dixon dished out a career-high five assists, junior Michelle Warren added the first hat trick of her career, while junior Alexa Corbin pitched in three points off the bench.

As a team, the Scarlet Knights outshot the Pride, 40-29, and secured 15 draw controls to the Pride's nine. The success in the middle circle was spearheaded by sophomore Kimberly Greenblatt, who produced a career-high seven draw controls along with three ground balls.

RU rushed out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, with Goldrick and Warren scoring back-to-back goals in the opening five minutes for a quick 2-0 advantage. Corbin and Warren followed with scores, while two consecutive goals from Spilis provided Rutgers with a 6-1 lead after the opening 15 minutes of play.

The Scarlet Knights continued to dictate the pace in the following quarter, outscoring the Pride 7-1 before the midpoint. Graduate student Jessica Beneducci converted a rare scoring opportunity thanks to a free position attempt, which sparked a 5-1 scoring run in the final three minutes of the second quarter. Spilis scored two times during the stretch, while Dixon found Goldrick at the halftime buzzer to put Rutgers up 12-2 heading into the locker room.

RU earned its largest lead of the night with an 11-goal advantage at the 12 minute mark in the third quarter before Hofstra ended the game with a 6-1 scoring run. But thanks to its strong opening quarter and stout defense throughout the night, Rutgers earned its fifth home win of the season.

Up Next 
Rutgers hosts No. 9 Johns Hopkins on Saturday, April 6 at SHI Stadium. First draw is set for 5 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus. Saturday serves as Senior Day for the program, as the Scarlet Knights will recognize Jessica Beneducci, Sophia Cardello, Kate Carolonza, Sara Carolonza, Mikayla Dever, Nicole DiLullo, Madison Grady, Keeley McNemar, Lauren Messinese, Ashley Moynahan, Ellie Riegner, and Cassidy Spilis.