'Winning a Big Ten Championship has always been circled': Ross Scott previews No. 15 Rutgers men's lacrosse 2024 season
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will begin its 2024 season in February. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 2023 campaign that saw them reach the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament but miss out on an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2020.
Rutgers is currently ranked No. 15 in the country in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll and is playing this season without some key starters, Brian Cameron, Bobby Russo, Ethan Rall and Jack Stahanczyk.
Despite losing these key players, the Knights will have graduate student attacker Ross Scott, junior attacker Dante Kulas, senior midfielder Shane Knobloch and senior midfielder Jack Aimone return this year. Rutgers' roster, led by team captains Scott and Knobloch, will also feature 13 freshmen.
Scott is confident in the team this season and is looking forward to seeing the new players find their groove.
"I'm excited to see how a lot of the new guys kind of spill into the lineup, and how they bring their own respective skill sets into our lineup this year and how we can build off last year," he said.
Scott was the Knights' team captain last season as well and thinks everyone on the team will provide leadership.
"My job is really easy — I'm just kinda (a) communicator, and this team leads itself, really, from the front," he said. "I've got a lot of guys by my side — it's not just one guy that's the captain. We've got 52 guys on this roster that are all leaders."
Rutgers struggled last season in attack, as it scored a conference-low 173 goals in 14 games. To increase the goal tally this season, Scott thinks the team needs to pass the ball more to create better chances.
"I think we're just gonna look to share the ball more," he said. "I think last time, sometimes, the ball would get stuck in our sticks, or we'd just be thinking too much out there. I think this year we're gonna try to let it fly a little bit more — play with each other a little more."
Scott, who netted 25 goals last season, is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed.
"I'm really just looking to help my team in any way possible," he said. "I'd love to score more goals if that's what this team needs, but if the team needs me to play a different role, then I'd love to play that too. So, whatever way we can get more wins on that first number, there is the way I'd like to help."
Scott is in his last season on the Banks and wants to end his collegiate career on a high note.
"Winning our Big Ten schedule and winning a Big Ten championship has always been circled my entire career here, and we've yet to do that," he said. "I think getting back to that stage would mean a lot to me and this whole team. I think that is the number one thing that is circled on our list right now."
The Knights will open up their season on February 3 against Lehigh at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. The contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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