'It's a game that's always been a battle': Brian Brecht previews No. 11 Rutgers men's lacrosse clash against No. 7 Army
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will return to SHI Stadium on Busch campus to do battle with Army on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (2-0, 0-0) will be significantly tested in this rivalry game against the Black Knights (1-0, 0-0).
No. 11 Rutgers has had a strong start to the season and remains undefeated through two weeks. Despite the Knights' success, head coach Brian Brecht says that it is still early, and there is still work to be done.
"We need to continue to get better and grow from our mistakes and figure out a little bit more of an identity of what our strengths are, and we're gonna get tested this weekend, and we're preparing well for it," he said.
Rutgers' offense has been firing on all cylinders, scoring 30 goals in two games. Senior midfielder Jack Aimone has netted a team-leading 7 goals, and graduate student attacker Ross Scott and senior midfielder Shane Knobloch have each scored 5 goals.
"They've been a bright spot — I do think there is a lot of growth with them collectively together," Brecht said. "I don't think we're clicking on all cylinders yet. I think sometimes the ball gets stuck in some guy's sticks … We're gonna lean on those older guys on that end of the field."
On defense, there is still work to be done, as the Knights have conceded 24 goals after two games. Much of that could be attributed to the team's new defensive trio consisting of junior defenders Ben McKelvy and Tommy Mendyke and sophomore defender and long-stick midfielder Conor Udovich. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller is the new starter between the pipes and has a 44.2 save percentage.
The backline has started to find success, with Mendyke being named to the USILA Team of the Week after scooping up four ground balls and causing three turnovers against Stony Brook. Also in that game, McKelvy had three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Rutgers has also been sharp with the ball, averaging just 14 turnovers per game, which is tied for fifth-lowest in the nation. Last season, the Knights were just as comfortable on the ball, averaging approximately 12 turnovers per game — a conference-low. With a newer lineup featuring 15 transfers and 13 freshmen, it is impressive that Rutgers is able to limit turnovers.
"Every part of practice, stick work and fundamentals are important," Brecht said. "We wanna be clean on the perimeter with the offensive stick work … We're gonna have to clear the ball well and have success after getting stops and make good decisions with the ball offensively and in transition, and I think if we can continue doing that, we limit the turnovers but also have more possessions and opportunities to score."
No. 7 Army won its season opener 13-12 against UMass. Last season, the Black Knights won the Patriot League Championship but fell to Penn State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Army is an opponent that the Knights are familiar with, as the two have played each other 85 times. The Black Knights have won 59 of those games. Rutgers' most recent victory was a 13-10 win in 2022.
"It's a game that's always been a battle and a 1-goal contest," Brecht said. "We're home this year. I hope the pride in coming out of that tunnel in the white home jerseys and playing a top-ranked team will have their attention this week, and we have been getting better each week."
The game will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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