Michigan
9-0, 2-0Big Ten
Rutgers
5-3, 0-2Big Ten
Dyer Dominates in No. 6 Michigan’s Big Ten Win at Rutgers
3/14/2024 8:28:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
» Michigan is 9-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play.
» Kaylee Dyer recorded eight points with six goals.
» Erin O'Grady tied a career-best 13 saves.
» Lily Montemarano had eight draw control wins.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- With eight points from junior Kaylee Dyer, the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team earned a 13-10 Big Ten Conference victory over Rutgers on Thursday evening (March 14) at SHI Stadium.
Dyer scored a career-best six goals and added two assists in the victory, and is the first U-M player to record eight-or-more points since Molly Garrett on March 21, 2021 against Penn State. Junior Jill Smith added three goals and one assist for a four-point night, while Caroline Davis had two points with a goal and an assist.
Michigan (9-0, 2-0 B1G) won the draw control battle, 16-10, with Lily Montemarano winning eight draw controls, while Smith won five for the Maize and Blue.
Defensively, Grace Callahan, Taylor Cullen and Jordyn Harrison all had two caused turnovers and Erin O'Grady tied a career-best 13 saves in the cage.
It was all Dyer in the first quarter as she scored all three of U-M's goals and the Wolverines headed into the second quarter leading Rutgers (5-3, 0-2 B1G) by a 3-2 score.
Dyer assisted Davis on a goal to start the second quarter to cap off a 3-0 Michigan run and extend the U-M lead to 4-2. Rutgers answered with a goal of its own before Dyer netted her fourth of the game and Smith scored behind her back with 2:07 remaining in the half. Rutgers came within two, 6-4, heading into the halftime break in New Jersey.
O'Grady made eight saves in the first half of action, while Callahan and Cullen had two caused turnovers each in the first 30 minutes of play.
The Scarlet Knights opened the third quarter with two-straight goals to tie the game at 6-6 before Michigan netted five unanswered goals to take an 11-6 lead into the final 15 minutes of the game.
U-M added one goal to its tally to start the final quarter of action and warded off Rutgers' attempt at a comeback as RU scored three-straight to come within three. A yellow carded proved to be detrimental for the Scarlet Knights as Smith capped off the hat trick to extend the Michigan lead to 12-9 with just under two minutes to play.
Rutgers added one final tally in the final two minutes but the Michigan defense held off the comeback and the Wolverines earned the 13-10 victory.
Michigan next heads to Penn for a Saturday afternoon (March 16) non-conference contest starting at noon.
