Rutgers Lacrosse 2010 Season Review
Jun 14 | Men's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (June 9, 2010) – The Rutgers men’s lacrosse finished compiled a 6-8 overall record in 2010 and finished fifth in the final conference standings with a 2-4 mark.
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Justin Pennington
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Senior midfielders Justin Pennington (Flemington, N.J.) and Gerhard Buehning (Essex Fells, N.J.) led the Scarlet Knights as they were named to the All-BIG EAST First and Second Team, respectively. Additionally, Pennington was named an Inside Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention and went on to be drafted by Chicago Machine in the Major League Lacrosse Draft.
The Scarlet Knights opened the season with a dominating 24-4 victory at Wagner. The 24 goals were the most Rutgers had posted since defeating FDU 26-7 on March 27, 1990. The 20-point margin of victory was the most since RU won by the same amount with a 23-3 win over St. John's on March 30, 1994.
“I was pleased with the effort today because we were pretty composed and played four complete quarters,” said Rutgers head coach Jim Stagnitta following the win.. “We never wavered or lost focus despite the score or situation. We shot really well and (Chris) Mattes kept getting us possessions at the faceoff. Kevin Hover and Kory Kelly both had a terrific game. Justin Pennington had a great game in the field.”
Buehning was named the first ever BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts at Wagner.
RU began their home slate by hosting No. 19/20 UMBC on Feb. 28. The Scarlet Knights fought back-and-fourth battle with the Retrievers and Pennington had a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds, but it flew wide right as UMBC escaped the RU Turf Field with a 6-5 win.
Despite the loss, freshman goalie Rudy Butler (Belle Mead, N.J.) had a solid outing in his first full game as a Scarlet Knight as he snatched nine saves on the day and limited an UMBC squad that averaged 12 goals last season to six that Sunday.
RU went on to win its next three games including a thrilling 10-9 victory over Marist on March 16 in a game that Kelly scored a career-high six goals to lead Rutgers to a 10-9 win at the RU Turf Field.
It marked the first time the Scarlet Knights had won three-straight games for the first time since the middle of the 2006 season and their 4-1 record was the best five-game start for the squad since it posted the same mark in the 2004 season. The Marist victory served as Stagnitta’s 50th of his RU tenure.
Stagnitta said his team had shown a lot of “character” over the three-game win streak following the Marist contest.
“It certainly wasn’t our cleanest or best effort. I think we were a little tired,” said the ninth year head coach. “Tuesday night games are tough. I was a little nervous about this one because Marist is a pretty good team.”
Rutgers saw its three-game win streak snapped at Army on March 20 as the Black Knights won by a 11-8 score in Michie Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights outshot the Black Knights 35-18 and won the turnover battle by a 13-18 margin. The 11 goals were the most RU had given up at that point in the season.
RU rebounded in a big way by picking up its biggest victory of the season as it defeated eventual NCAA runner-up Notre Dame, then ranked No. 11/13, on March 27 at Arlotta Stadium.
The victory over a ranked opponent was the first for the Scarlet Knights since winning at No. 14 Hobart by a 5-4 score on March 21, 2009. RU has claimed 12 victories over ranked opponents during Stagnitta’s tenure.
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Gerhard Buehning
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I thought we really dominated play through most of the game today,” said Stagnitta. “As the game went on, I felt our guys started getting more and more confident.”
Rutgers opened up the BIG EAST home schedule on April 3 against St. John’s at the RU Turf Field. Despite leading 9-7, heading into the fourth quarter against the Red Storm, STJ left the RU Turf Field with an 11-10 victory.
The Scarlet Knights outshot the Red Storm by a 38-31 margin and claimed 14 of the 24 faceoffs. It marked the first time St. John’s defeated Rutgers since winning by a 6-4 score at home on March 31, 2007.
After RU suffered its toughest loss of the season Saturday on April 10 when it fell to Jacksonville, 17-10, at the Ashley Sports Complex, Rutgers went toe-to-toe with No. 5/6 Princeton on April 13. The battle against the in-state rival would begin a four-game stretch against top-15 opponents for RU.
The Scarlet Knights put up a valiant effort against the in-state rival Tigers, but let a 6-5 fourth-quarter lead slip away as Rutgers fell by a 10-8 score at the Class of 1952 Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights held a 5-2 lead over the Tigers in the third quarter but went 0-7 in extra man opportunities and gave up two man-down goals in the fourth quarter, which handicapped their ability to maintain their lead.
Following the Princeton match, Rutgers hosted two-time defending NCAA Champion Syracuse in its first game at Yurcak Field in 2010 on April 18, 2010. The game was televised live by ESPNU. Despite only trailing 2-0 at halftime., RU fell to SU by an 11-5 score.
Rutgers dropped its next two contests in the home finale against No. 9/9 Villanova and at No. 15/14 Georgetown.
Rutgers capped off the regular season with a dominating 12-2 victory over BIG EAST foe Providence Sunday afternoon at Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.
The Scarlet Knights outshot the Friars by a commanding 40-13 margin and outdueled their conference rival on ground balls by a 36-21 edge.
