PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Behind a balanced offensive attack the Cornell women's lacrosse powered past Rutgers, 15-7, at HighPoint.com Stadium Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Big Red (6-4) had five members with multi-goal performances, including three hat tricks, as Grace Paletta,Caroline Allen and Tomasina Leska each found the back of the net three times. For Paletta, that ties her career-high, which she set last year against Brown on April 7.
 
Goalkeeper Katie McGahan also had a big day in net totaling 11 saves. The Atlanta native has now had four games this season, which she registered double-figure saves.
 
It was the Scarlet Knights (5-8) that got off to hot start at the beginning of the game, as the Big Red found itself trailing, 3-1, just under five and a half minutes into game. Cornell's lone goal came from Allen, her 25th of the year.
 
The Big Red followed with a 4-0 scoring run to push ahead 5-3, a lead it would not squander. The span lasted just over 12 minutes with Leska netting a pair of goals, while Ellie Walsh and Olivia Jensen added the other two to put Cornell up with 11:50 remaining in the opening stanza.
 
Rutgers' Samantha Budd ended the burst for the Big Red scoring with exactly 10 minutes remaining in the half. Though Cornell entered halftime with a two-goal padding thanks to the first of Shannon Bertscha's two goals of the afternoon.
 
Bertscha's tally proved to be the first of four unanswered for the Big Red, as it opened up the second half with three consecutive tallies. Jensen netted her second of the game just under two minutes into the second before Paletta and Sarah Phillips registered goals, respectively, to make it 9-4.
 
Rutgers got on the board in the second half with a goal from Camryn Rogers to cut the Big Red's lead to four. Leska and Allen responded with goals to make the score 11-5 with 11:39 remaining.
 
Taralyn Naslonski netted two consecutive goals to make the score 11-7, but Cornell closed the game out on a 15-7 run.
 
The Big Red jumps back into Ivy League play when it takes on Yale at noon on Saturday in New Haven, Connecticut. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 

NOTES TO KNOW

• The Big Red is now 4-3 in nonconference play and 1-1 against Big Ten teams.
• This marks the second consecutive game which at least seven members of the Big Red found the back of the net.
• With an assist, Paletta also tied her career high of four points, which she also set at Brown last year.
• Leska has now registered nine goals in her last two games.
• Allen has now recorded at least three points in eight of the Big Red's 10 games.
• Bertscha and Jensen tied their career highs with two goals.