Rutgers Men's Lacrosse Hosts Penn State on Saturday
Mar 12 | Men's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (March 12, 2010) -The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will host its third of a four-game homestand this Saturday when Penn State comes to RU Turf Field for a 1 p.m. game.
Rutgers (2-1) earned its first home win with a dominating 15-6 victory over Saint Joseph's last Saturday at the RU Turf Field.
The Nittany Lions (0-4) dropped an 11-7 game to BIG EAST foe Villanova at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday. PSU is led by Glenn Thiel, who is in his 33rd season at Penn State and 43rd year overall as a head coach.
Rutgers and Penn State are very familiar with each other having met every year since 1952. The Scarlet Knights hold a 41-19 advantage in the all-time series but the Nittany Lions have won three of the last five. They were both in the ECAC Conference last season before RU joined the BIG EAST and PSU went to the Colonial Athletic Association.
Last season, Penn State claimed a 9-4 decision at Rutgers Stadium in front of 2,500 fans. Midfielder Justin Pennington (Flemington, N.J.) scored three goals in the game.
"There is a lot of tradition in the Penn State game," said Rutgers head coach James Stagnitta. "The rivalry itself predates the ECAC. This is a game we both worked to keep on our schedules when our league situations changed. It's been back and forth over the years and is always a competitive game. We look forward to continuing the tradition."
Rutgers enters Saturday's showdown with the nation's highest scoring margin (9.33) and third-best scoring offense (14.67), scoring defense (5.33), face-off win percentage (.636) and assists per game average (9.33).
The Scarlet Knights's powerful scoring attack has been aided by the squad's ability to create possessions. Junior midfielder Chris Mattes (Westfield, N.J.) has spearheaded Rutgers' dominance in the face-off battles as his .620 winning percentage ranks 10th in the country. Additionally, RU ranks second in the country in fewest turnovers (12.0) and 11th in the nation in caused turnovers (9.33).
Rutgers is No. 1 in the BIG EAST in several categories, including goals per game (14.67), assists per game (9.33), points per game (24.00), shot percentage (.361) turnovers per game and face-off win percentage.
Senior midfielder Gerhard Buehning (Essex Fells, N.J.), sophomore attackman Kevin Hover (Belle Mead, N.J.), junior attackman Kory Kelly (Princeton, N.J.) and Pennington are tied for the team-lead in goals with six.
Pennington was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll last week after he tallied three goals and an assist against Saint Joseph's.
Senior midfielder Hunter Burnard (Binghamton, N.Y.) owns a team-best four assists this season.
Freshman goalie Rudy Butler (Belle Mead, N.J.) has highlighted the team's improvement on the defensive side. The RU rookie has started all three games this season with two victories. He ranks third in the country and first in the conference in goals against average (5.76). Butler's .538 save percentage ranks 18th in the nation and fifth in the BIG EAST.
After the Penn State contest, Rutgers will have a quick turnaround when it wraps up its four-game homestand hosting Marist Tuesday, March 16. GAME NOTES
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