No. 17 Rutgers men's lacrosse hopes for bounce-back win against Loyola
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will hit the road for its clash with Loyola on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (2-1, 0-0) will be looking to shake off their 16-7 home defeat to Army.
The Greyhounds (1-2, 0-0) are coming off a 2023 campaign that saw them knock off then-No. 1 Maryland and reach the championship of the Patriot League Tournament but miss out on the NCAA Tournament.
To begin the 2024 season, it has been tough sledding for Loyola. The Greyhounds have already faced three top-12 opponents in Georgetown, the Terrapins (3-0, 0-0) and Johns Hopkins. Loyola defeated the Hoyas (1-2, 0-0) 18-10 but dropped the other two contests.
No. 17 Rutgers has dropped six places in the national rankings after its tough defeat to the Black Knights (2-0, 0-0). In that game, No. 7 Army was able to shut down the Knights' offense and find success from its attackers. Rutgers also struggled to win faceoffs, making it harder for it to have possession of the ball and create scoring opportunities.
Despite the Greyhounds' losing record, it will not be an easy matchup for the Knights. While Rutgers is 3-11 all-time against Loyola, it holds the advantage, as it has won the past two games. Last season, the Knights were able to limit the Greyhounds to only 6 goals to earn the upset win at SHI Stadium on Busch campus.
Rutgers is a much different team this season compared to last year, but with stalwart players such as graduate student attacker Ross Scott and senior midfielders Shane Knobloch and Jack Aimone, the Knights could pull off yet another win over Loyola.
The attacking trio of Matthew Minicus, Adam Poitras and Evan James has combined for 19 goals and nine assists on the season. That same trio led the Greyhounds last year with 98 of the team's 185 goals.
On defense, Joe Houlihan and Remi Reynolds have caused seven turnovers and scooped up 13 ground balls. Between the pipes, Luke Staudt owns a save percentage of 56.4 and has a goals-against average of 11.33 in three starts.
A bounce-back win for Rutgers would help build momentum heading into its tougher games coming up. After Loyola, the Knights will play Hofstra, Detroit Mercy, in-state rival Princeton and UMass before beginning conference action against the Blue Jays (3-1, 0-0). While some of those games are less difficult than others, ending a non-conference play with a winning record would significantly help Rutgers' chances of earning an NCAA Tournament berth come May.
The contest between the Knights and the Greyhounds will begin at 1 p.m. in Baltimore and will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
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