Women's Lacrosse Defeats Monmouth, 20-5

Wednesday, February 18

Piscataway, N.J.

6 PM

Rutgers University

2-1

Monmouth

3-1

Monmouth University

Rutgers

Feb 18 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse (2-1) defeated Monmouth (3-1), 20-5, on Wednesday night at SHI Stadium. The Scarlet Knights outscored the Hawks, 13-3, in the first half and used a 33-18 shot advantage to secure their second win of the season.

It marked the fifth consecutive win over Monmouth in the all-time series and the largest margin of victory in 22 matchups with the in-state foe. The 20 goals were the most in a game since RU netted 20 in its 2024 season opener against Manhattan.

Senior Lily Dixon dished out a career-high six assists and added a goal for her seven-point outing. Sophomores Caroline Ling and Delainey Sutley added hat tricks, as Sutley tied a career-high with five points on three goals and two assists.

Twelve student-athletes contributed at least one point in the win, including two goals from junior Payton Tini, redshirt sophomore Samantha Swanovich, sophomore Hilary Elsner and rookie Annalise Messina.

RU dominated on both sides of the field, allowing just eight shots in the first 30 minutes of action while causing 15 turnovers. Sophomore Maddie Miceli, classmate Charlee Thomas and redshirt freshman Nora Maione forced multiple turnovers, with Miceli causing a game-high three turnovers to go along with a game-high four ground balls.

Thomas also helped Rutgers to a 15-11 advantage on 50-50 opportunities with a career-high five draw controls. Senior Katie Buck added three draws controls of her own, passing Alana Navaroli (2015-18) and Jenny Vlahos (2012-14) for ninth on the program's all-time list with 115 career draw controls.

Rutgers raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of play. The run was highlighted by a behind-the-back cleanup goal from Sutley, who put back a missed shot to give the Scarlet Knights a 4-0 advantage at the 11:49 mark. Messina and classmate Kate Theofield followed with back-to-back goals, while a player-up finish from Ling made it 7-0 Rutgers with 4:34 left in the quarter. Monmouth stopped the scoring run two minutes later to make it a 7-1 game through the first 15 minutes.

Hello, #SCTop10 👋

Delainey Sutley goes behind the back for this wild finish!#BxB 🧱 | #GoRU pic.twitter.com/MWypVPlTrA
— Rutgers Women's Lacrosse (@rutgers_wlax) February 19, 2026

The Scarlet Knights outscored the Hawks, 6-2, in the second quarter to continue to push the pace. Swanovich converted a free-position shot to bring RU into double digits, while Rutgers countered a Monmouth goal with a 3-0 scoring run to close the half with a 13-3 advantage.

The Scarlet Knights held the Hawks off the board in the third quarter, putting the game out of reach with five goals over the next 15 minutes of play. Dixon's sixth assist of the night found senior Kayleigh Coughlin, who made it an 18-3 game heading into the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Francesca Urtis capped the night with a two-point fourth quarter, finding rookie Stella D'Ambro and scoring off a pass from Theofield for the 20-5 final.

Up Next
Rutgers is on the road for its next two games, beginning with a weekend matchup with Villanova Feb. 21 in Philadelphia. The game is set for a noon start and will stream on ESPN+.