PISCATAWAY, NJ -- Sophomore Debbie Sloan (at right) scored a career-high four goals and dished out two assists, but it wasn’t enough as the University of Delaware dropped a 15-12 non-league women’s lacrosse decision to host Rutgers Saturday afternoon.

Delaware (0-2), off to an 0-2 start for the first time since opening the 1998 campaign with back to back overtime setbacks to James Madison and Old Dominion, outshot Rutgers 35-31 and committed just eight turnovers but could never gain the lead after falling behind 8-5 at halftime.

Amanda Alrich added two goals and two assists and last week’s Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week added one goal and one assist for the Blue Hens, who will host Loyola in their home opener this Wednesday, March 7. Sloan scored a career-high four goals for her second career hat trick and became the first Delaware player to score six points in a game since current teammate Stephanie McQuade scored six vs. Villanova on March 16, 2006.

Rutgers (3-0) received a balanced effort as Michelle Poole scored four goals and dished out an assist, Nina Frankoski added three goals and one assist, and Katie Batiuk, Mary Cryan, Katy Lawrence, and Brooke Cantwell each scored twice. Jamie Farewell dished out two assists while goalkeeper Sandra Abel recorded 10 saves. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Blue Hens for the second straight year after posting a 9-8 win over the Hens last year in Newark.

The first half featured two ties with a Sloan goal knotting the score at 3-3 with 15:17 left in the opening half. But Rutgers answered with three straight goals, including one by Poole, to take the lead for good at 6-3. Sloan scored again with 1:40 left in the first half to narrow the deficit to 6-5, but Rutgers got goals from Lawrence and Cantwell in the final minute of the opening half and took an 8-5 lead into halftime.

Rutgers made it four straight goals when Cryan scored just three minutes into the second half to up the lead to 10-6. Delaware cut the lead to three goals three times in the second half, the last at 11-8 with 21:45 left on a goal by Alrich, but could never get closer. The Scarlet Knights upped the lead to as much as 15-9 with 7:53 left before the Hens scored the game’s final three goals.

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