No. 8 Rutgers men's lacrosse hopes for 3rd straight win at Army
The Rutgers men’s lacrosse team is looking to gain its third win of the 2023 season when it goes up against Army on Saturday. A win for the Scarlet Knights (2–0, 0-0) would mark their third consecutive season with a starting record of 3-0.
The Black Knights (0-1, 0-0) come into the game after dropping their season opener versus Massachusetts. Army trailed at the half with a score of 4-1 before tying things up 5-5 in the fourth period. Ultimately, the comeback wasn’t enough, and the Black Knights fell short with a final score of 10-8.
Coming off of a close loss, Army will be a determined opponent versus No. 8 Rutgers. This game also marks the home opener for the Black Knights, so the crowd will be on their side.
The Knights come into this one after an 11-7 win over Stony Brook. Rutgers got the job done despite the matchup being closer than the team's first game of the season against Marist, where the final score was 20-8. With both victories, the Knights were able to increase their rank by a single position, according to the latest rankings from Inside Lacrosse.
Last year, then-No. 6 Rutgers knocked off then-No. 10 Army 13-10. This time around, the Black Knights no longer carry such a high ranking, but they will still look to defeat the top-ten opponent that is the Knights.
In the matchup last season, Rutgers got much of its action from the trio of senior attacker Ross Scott, senior attacker Brian Cameron and junior midfielder Shane Knobloch. Cameron and Knobloch each scored 3 goals, while Scott pitched in with 1 goal and a pair of assists.
Looking ahead to this season’s matchup, expect to see much of the same as the three players continue to be vital for the Knights’ success each week.
Both Rutgers and Army dominated in their respective games last week in terms of shots taken and shots taken on goal. Though they eventually lost, the Black Knights outshot their opponent 46-30 and 27-19 on goal. The key factor was that Army’s shots were being saved at an extremely high rate.
This could pose a problem for the Knights this week if the high shooting trend continues. In its last game, Rutgers’ senior goalkeeper Kyle Mullin saved just half of the 14 shots that were fired on goal against him. If he continues that rate, especially with the number of shots that the Black Knights had on goal in their last game, the team may lose a significant number of points.
The Knights must make it a priority to slow down Army’s shot attempts, and when the shots do make it on goal, Mullin must be ready for the task.
If Rutgers can continue its high-tempo offense and improve its goal success rate after scoring just 11 of its 34 shots on goal last week, the team should have a great opportunity to continue its undefeated season past the Black Knights.
The game will take place at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. It will begin at noon and be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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