Tigers pounce on Knights: No. 16 Rutgers men’s lacrosse falls to No. 15 Princeton
The Rutgers men’s lacrosse team’s three-game winning streak is over as it fell to in-state rival Princeton 14-8 on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights (5-2, 0-0) drop their second game at home as Big Ten play looms near.
The first period began slowly for both sides offensively, but the Tigers (4-2, 0-0) were able to get the upper hand over No. 16 Rutgers after Tucker Wade and Coulter Mackesy scored 1 and 2 goals respectively, putting No. 15 Princeton up by three.
The Knights were able to swing back, with senior midfielder Shane Knobloch and senior defender Bobby Russo getting Rutgers on the board. At the end of the first quarter, the Tigers led the Knights 3-2.
Princeton wasted no time in the second quarter. By the 12 minute mark, John Dunphey and Nate Kabiri scored to extend the Tigers lead to 5-2.
Rutgers would answer with 2 goals, but Princeton continued throwing haymakers with four straight to end the second quarter. The 4-goal run for the Tigers would be extended after Colin Burns potted one home to give his team a 10-4 lead at the 13:03 mark of the third quarter.
At the 11:42, junior midfielder Jack Aimone scored the 1st and only goal of the third quarter for the Knights as Rutgers’ attack went cold. Chad Palumbo and Sean Cameron found the back of the net to put Princeton up by seven heading into the final 15 minutes of action.
Within the first eight seconds of the fourth period, Kabiri gave the Tigers a 13-5 lead. In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Knights would outscore Princeton 3-1, but it was not enough in Rutgers’ 6-goal defeat.
Knobloch, Aimone, and freshman midfielder Colin Kurdyla scored 2 goals each for the Knights. On the other side, Mackesy led the Tigers with a hat trick as Kabiri, Cameron and Wade tacked on 2 of their own.
Michael Gianforcaro owned the victory in between the pipes off the back of a 14-save performance. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller allowed all 14 goals but made 16 saves in an uneven day in the cage.
Rutgers will head to Farmingdale, New York, next Saturday with hopes of bouncing back against UMass.
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