Rutgers women's lacrosse late comeback falls short in defeat to No. 15 Stony Brook
The Rutgers women's lacrosse team lost 13-10 to Stony Brook on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights (6-8, 0-5) made a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell short to the Seawolves (11-2, 5-0).
Kailyn Hart started No. 15 Stony Brook off with 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the contest. Rutgers was able to knot things up at 2-2, after graduate student midfielder Cassidy Spilis and junior midfielder and attacker Victoria Goldrick netted goals. The Seawolves would take the lead back, though, as Courtney Maclay ended the first quarter with a tally.
The Knights struggled on both sides of the ball in the second quarter. Stony Brook's offense exploded, scoring 5 goals in 15 minutes. Rutgers were also held scoreless to trail 8-3 at halftime.
The Seawolves started the third quarter right where they left off, as Ellie Masera and Alex Finn gave Stony Brook a 7-goal advantage. Spilis then netted her 2nd goal of the game before the Seawolves scored 2 more goals to give Stony Brook its largest lead of the night. Freshman midfielder Reese Robinson ended the third quarter with a goal to make the score 12-5.
The Knights came to life in the second half. Junior midfielder and attacker Michelle Warren scored 2 quick goals, followed by tallies from junior midfielder Alexa Corbin and senior midfielder Mikayla Dever. Spilis then completed her hat trick to make it a 2-goal game with more than 8 minutes left to play. The Seawolves locked down on defense and sealed the win with a consolation goal from Finn.
Despite being outshot 27-18, Rutgers was able to make it a close game after trailing by as much as 8 goals. Senior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello kept the Knights alive with her eight saves. Spilis, who was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Week for the fifth time this season, had a hat trick.
Rutgers will next play Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on April 18. The game will begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on X.
