PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (8-4, 2-1) picked up its second ranked win of the season, defeating No. 21 Ohio State (8-3, 1-3), 12-8, on Sunday afternoon in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights never trailed against the Buckeyes, forcing the visitors into 18 turnovers to secure their second Big Ten Conference victory of the season.
 
Now winners of three of its last four games, RU owns two ranked wins on the year after it delivered an overtime victory over then-No. 16 Stony Brook, 12-11, earlier this month. Sunday's win over No. 21 OSU marked the 18th ranked win for the program under head coach Melissa Lehman dating back to 2021 and served as the fourth consecutive over the Buckeyes in the all-time series.
 
RU's defense shined against Ohio State, allowing just one goal in the first 30 minutes of action, as graduate student goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron tallied six saves for her eight win of the spring. Junior Lily Dixon (3), graduate student Lauren Messinese (2) and senior Alexa Corbin (2) all caused multiple turnovers against the Buckeyes, while junior Katie Buck muscled a game-high eight draw controls.
 
"It was such a team win today," said senior captain Madison Karpe, who helped spearhead Rutgers' defensive efforts against OSU. "Everyone believed from the first whistle that this was our game. We really focused this week on playing 60-minute defense, and we accomplished that today."
 
RU featured seven different goal scorers, which included a hat trick from sophomore Payton Tini and multi-goal outings from junior Ava Chiarella and rookies Delainey Sutley and Hilary Elsner. Dixon once again stuffed the stat sheet, finishing the afternoon with six points on a game-high five assist and a goal to go along with her three caused turnovers, three ground balls and a draw control. Corbin and classmate Michelle Warren also scored in the win.
 
"We practice all week being in control and trying to be disciplined while playing with intensity," Lehman said. "They came in on a mission and they were all really bought in. We were all on the same page to start the game."
 
Rutgers raced out to a 4-0 lead through the first 15 minutes of play. Dixon found Elsner four minutes in for the first goal, and followed with a nifty pass to Tini to make it a 3-0 lead with 5:58 left in the quarter. A quick score from Chiarella three minutes later provided the Scarlet Knights with their 4-0 advantage heading into the first break.
 
Ohio State scored first in the second quarter before RU tallied three consecutive goals. Dixon assisted back-to-back goals to Tini and Warren, while Corbin took advantage of a free position attempt with a goal at the buzzer to make it 7-1 Rutgers at halftime. The Scarlet Knights allowed just 11 shots in the first 30 minutes, forced Ohio State into eight first-half turnovers and saw Coldiron stop four shots before the midpoint.
 
The Buckeyes attempted a comeback out of the locker room, outscoring Rutgers, 5-1, over the next 15 minutes of play. A score from Kate Tyack two minutes into the fourth made it just a one-goal game at 8-7 with 13:07 left in regulation.
 
The Scarlet Knights turned on the jets down the stretch, using a 4-0 scoring run over the next eight minutes of action to all but put the game out of reach. Four different goal scorers added to the run, with Dixon's fifth assist on a finish from Elsner providing a 12-7 lead. RU's defense then held the Buckeyes off the board in the final six minutes to leave Sunday winners.
 
Up Next
Rutgers faces Penn State on Thursday, April 3 in University Park, Pennsylvania. First draw from Panzer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. with a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.