Terrapins downed: Rutgers women's lacrosse knocks off No. 7 Maryland in Big Ten Tournament
The Rutgers women's lacrosse team advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after defeating Maryland 9-8 on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (8-9, 1-5) bested the Terrapins (12-5, 4-2) for just the second time in program history.
The 1st goal of the game came from graduate student midfielder Cassidy Spilis. Eloise Clevenger leveled the game approximately 8 minutes later. Rutgers then went on a 3-0 scoring run to close the first quarter, with 2 goals from Spilis and a score from freshman midfielder Payton Tini.
No. 7 Maryland used the beginning of the second quarter to play catch-up as Hannah Leubecker and Libby May both netted tallies. With 6:20 remaining in the second quarter, senior midfielder Mikayla Dever scored to make it 5-3 heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, May and Chrissy Thomas scored to bring the Terrapins back into the contest with the score level at five. Fighting for the lead, Spilis rocketed the ball into the net to put the Knights back in front, but 1 more goal from Maryland made the game even once again with 15 minutes left to play.
The Terrapins took their first and only lead of the afternoon at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Rutgers responded with a 3-0 scoring run to fire back ahead. Tini, sophomore attacker Ava Kane and sophomore attacker and midfielder Lily Dixon all found the back of the cage.
Leubecker scored the game's final goal with approximately 2 minutes remaining, but it was not enough to give Maryland another lead. The Terrapins battled to level the game in the closing minutes, but senior goalkeeper Sophia Cardello made a crucial save to deny Leubecker and seal the win. Overall, Cardello recorded a season-high 15 saves.
"Cardello was unbelievable tonight," said head coach Melissa Lehman. "She will compete and do whatever it takes for this team. She was locked in all week during practice, and she rises to the occasion in our biggest games. It was amazing to watch her in cage tonight."
Spilis led the Knights with 4 goals, and Dixon had 1 goal and three assists.
Rutgers will next play Penn State in Evanston, Illinois, on Thursday. The game will begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
"Our team was so confident with our game plan and played hard for 60 minutes," Lehman said. "Our defense absolutely locked it down today, and we had each other's back. This team has worked so hard for this type of win. They have worked so hard all season, and it's awesome to see us jelling at the right time."
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