No. 19 Rutgers men's lacrosse looks for 1st Big Ten win against Ohio State
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will remain on the Banks for a home contest with Ohio State on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (6-3, 0-1) are looking to earn their first conference win of the season when they take on the Buckeyes (5-5, 0-1).
No. 19 Rutgers is coming off a 13-8 defeat to Johns Hopkins in its Big Ten opener. The Knights were trailing 8-7 heading into the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback. Senior midfielder Shane Knobloch recorded his fifth hat trick of the season and now has a team-leading 22 goals.
Ohio State has had an inconsistent 2024 season thus far. The Buckeyes started off by winning their first four games but then lost three consecutive contests. Since then, Ohio State has been unable to start another winning streak and is coming into Saturday's game on a two-game losing skid.
Last season, Rutgers and the Buckeyes each finished with a 1-4 conference record. Ohio State's only Big Ten win came against the Knights, while Rutgers only defeated Michigan. Both teams will see Saturday's matchup as a prime opportunity to earn their first conference wins.
Four Buckeyes have netted more than 10 goals this season. Ed Shean has a team-leading 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists. Gannon Matthews, Ben Mayer and Alex Marinier are other players to look out for.
Ohio State is dominant on the faceoff. Jack Oldman and Tommy Burke have won 61.3 percent and 56.5 percent of their faceoffs, respectively. Burke averages 5.22 ground balls per game, the third-most in the Big Ten.
Marcus Hudgins is the Buckeyes' primary defender. He has caused 16 turnovers and collected 27 ground balls. Cullen Brown has recorded 33 ground balls and 10 turnovers. Between the pipes, Caleb Fyock has a 53.1 save percentage and a goals-against average of 9.56, the second-lowest in the Big Ten.
The Knights will look to their frontline to find success. Rutgers' offense has cooled down in the last three games, scoring less than 11 goals in each contest. Freshman midfielder Colin Kurdyla has earned his spot in the starting lineup after scoring a hat trick against Army. Graduate student attacker Ross Scott is the team's playmaker, providing 18 assists while also netting 13 goals.
After Ohio State, the Knights will go on the road for clashes with the Wolverines and Maryland. Rutgers will close out its regular season at SHI Stadium on Busch campus against Penn State.
The game between the Knights and Buckeyes will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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