UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite a fourth-quarter rally, Rutgers women's lacrosse (8-5, 2-2) lost at Penn State (5-7, 3-2), 12-10, on Thursday night in University Park. Down six heading into the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Knights produced a 4-0 scoring run to draw within two before the Nittany Lions held on for the win.
 
Despite RU forcing 17 turnovers, PSU used a five-goal third quarter and a 17-9 advantage on the draw to secure the home victory. Graduate student goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron produced a game-high 12 saves on 32 shots faced, finishing with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
Rutgers featured six different goal scorers, led by two goals apiece from redshirt freshman Samantha Swanovich and rookie Caroline Ling. Senior Alexa Corbin, junior Ava Chiarella, and freshmen Hilary Elsner and Delainey Sutley also tallied scores, while Ling finished with a team-high three points on two goals and a helper. Junior Lily Dixon finished with two caused turnovers and a team-high five draw controls.
 
Rutgers took an early lead, as Sutley and Warren netted back-to-back goals in the opening five minutes. Warren's finish off a pass from freshman Sienna Cassella made it 2-1 Scarlet Knights with 9:55 left in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions responded with two consecutive goals for a 3-2 advantage after the first 15 minutes of play.
 
Both teams traded strikes in the second period, as senior Corbin found Elsner to tie the score at 3-3 with 13:25 left in the half. Chiarella also scored in the second quarter, but four goals from Penn State gave the home team a 7-4 lead at halftime. Coldiron muscled eight saves in the opening 30 minutes, while RU's defense forced PSU into eight turnovers.
 
Penn State outscored Rutgers, 5-2, in the third quarter before the Scarlet Knights began to chip away at the Nittany Lions' lead. Dixon found a cutting Ling at the 9:56 mark in the final quarter, while Swanovich finished back-to-back scoring opportunities to make it a three-goal deficit. Corbin followed with a free-position attempt with 3:03 remaining, as PSU led just 12-10. However, the Nittany Lions held in the final minutes for the win.
 
Up Next
Rutgers hosts No. 3 Northwestern on Sunday, April 6 in Piscataway. First draw from SHI Stadium is set for 1 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
 
Sunday serves as Senior Day, with Makenna Boutin, Lexie Coldiron, Emalie Clothier, Alexa Corbin, Victoria Goldrick, Madison Karpe, Kelsey Klein, Lauren Messinese, Tori Shenk and Michelle Warren all set to be recognized pregame.