No. 23 Rutgers women’s lacrosse struggles against Michigan
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team fell to Michigan by a score of 14-4 on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (4-5, 0-3) suffered their third conference loss after a dominant performance from the Wolverines (9-4, 2-1).
Jill Smith scored the 1st goal of the contest for No. 15 Michigan approximately 6 minutes after the face-off. Approximately 3 minutes later, Lily Montemarano added to the Wolverines' early lead. With 5:37 remaining, junior attacker Kate Carolonza put No. 23 Rutgers on the score sheet. Smith then ended the opening quarter with a free-position goal to make the score 3-1 heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter would be dominated by the Wolverines, with Michigan scoring 5 goals and shutting out the Knights. Erin Garvey netted the 1st goal of the quarter and the Wolverines' 4th goal of the game. Approximately 2 minutes later, Smith secured her hat trick via a power play goal.
With 8:31 remaining in the second quarter, Smith extended Michigan’s lead to 5 goals with an assist from Jane Fetterolf. In the final 3 minutes of the quarter, Josie Gooch and Fetterolf would both find the back of the cage to make the score 8-1 heading into halftime. Rutgers could not create scoring opportunities on offense and only attempted one shot in the second quarter.
In the opening 4 minutes of the third quarter, freshman attacker Ava Kane netted the Knights' 2nd goal of the match from a free-position shot. With less than 8 minutes left to play in the quarter, the Wolverines took an 11-2 lead thanks to goals from Annabelle Burke, Fetterolf and Montemarano.
With 6:36 remaining, graduate student attacker Marin Hartshorn dished out a pass, allowing Kane to score her 2nd goal of the contest. Going into the fourth quarter, Rutgers trailed 11-3.
Michigan started the final quarter off hot, scoring 2 goals in the opening 3 minutes. Approximately 5 minutes later, Caroline Davis netted the Wolverines' 14th goal of the game. With 2:37 remaining, Hartshorn scored the final goal of the match to make the score 14-4.
The Knights had trouble taking care of the ball, as Rutgers turned the ball over 17 times. The Knights also struggled on offense, attempting a season-low 10 shots. Senior midfielder Cassidy Spilis couldn't find the back of the cage. Rutgers trailed Michigan in ground balls 17-6 and draw controls 15-7.
Fetterolf netted 2 goals for the Wolverines and provided three assists for a team-leading 5 points. Smith scored 4 goals from seven shots on goal, upping her season goal total to 42. Michigan attempted 29 shots, with 26 of them being on target.
Senior defender Meghan Ball's five caused turnovers and four draw controls were not enough on defense.
Between the pipes, junior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello saved 12 shots. Maya Santa-Maria had a much easier day in net for Michigan as she faced a small number of shots and totaled five saves on the day.
The Knights will look to find success in Big Ten play when they take on John Hopkins on Saturday. Face-off is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network+.
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