Rutgers Men's Lacrosse Faces Air Force at Syracuse
Feb 16 | Men's Lacrosse
GAME 2 - RUTGERS (0-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. AIR FORCE (0-0, 0-0 ECAC)
Sunday | Feb. 19 | 11 a.m. | Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
SCARLET KNIGHTS VS. FALCONS - FACING OFF
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team continues early play of the 2012 season in a neutral site game inside the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., against Air Force on Sunday, Feb. 19. The RU-AF game, set to begin at 11 a.m., kicks off a day of lacrosse, featuring Syracuse vs. Albany (2 p.m.) and Hobart vs. Siena (5 p.m.). The Scarlet Knights battled, but fell by a score of 16-8 to No. 2-ranked Duke in Durham, N.C., on Feb. 11. Rutgers began the 2012 season returning eight starters from its 2011 squad. The Falcons start off their season with the Scarlet Knights and return six starters from their 2011 team.
Live Stats and Video: suathletics.com
LAST TIME OUT - No. 2 Duke 16, Rutgers 8
The second-ranked Duke lacrosse team kept its distance from a resilient Rutgers squad that continued to fight its way back into the game on Feb. 11 in Durham, N.C. RU dropped by a final score of 16-8 while seeing two-goal performances from sophomore A Nick DePaolera (Kinnelon, N.J.), senior M Mike Diehl (Flemington, N.J.) and senior M Will Mangan (Maplewood, N.J.). Senior D Jacob Fradkin (Brooklandville, Md.) notched three ground balls, which also tied Mangan's total. In goal, junior Rudy Butler (Belle Meade, N.J.) played all 60 minutes, making 16 saves.
Scouting the AIR FORCE FALCONS
Air Force, led by fourth-year head coach Eric Seremet, starts its 2012 season with Rutgers after compiling a 6-7 overall record last season. The Falcons tied for third in the ECAC Lacrosse League with a 3-3 record in conference action. AF returns six starters from that team, while losing four. Overall, 27 letterwinners return to bring experience to the Falcon ranks.
Sophomore midfielder Erik Smith started 13 games for Air Force last season, scoring 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) to rank second-best on the squad. Smith won 83-of-158 faceoffs a year ago. Classmate and attackman Mike Crampton followed by netting 16 goals and notching eight assists for 24 total points. Crampton, a native of Kinnelon, N.J., scooped 30 ground balls and caused six turnovers in 2011.
Defensively, Air Force is anchored by preseason All-ECAC honoree Dayon Gilbreath. The senior scooped 30 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers last season, while also winning four faceoffs.
SCARLET KNIGHTS TOP THE FALCONS, HISTORICALLY
Rutgers owns a 6-1 all-time record against Air Force, with the series beginning in 1969. RU last played the Falcons in 1997, winning by a score of 14-5.
Date Location Score
May 10, 1969 Air Force W, 17-6
April 27, 1978 at Air Force W, 16-3
March 27, 1983 vs. Air Force* W, 26-2
April 16, 1988 at Air Force W, 9-3
Feb. 28, 1994 Air Force W, 20-8
March 18, 1995 at Air Force L, 13-12
March 23, 1997 Air Force W, 14-5
*played at UMBC
TRUE FRESHMAN MAKES IMPACT
Rutgers' starting lineup for the opening game against Duke (Feb. 18) of the season was bolstered by the presence of freshman M Brian Goss (Arlington Heights, Ill.). The first-year competitor for RU scored a goal and assisted another in his debut.
Amongst his teammates, Goss is in good company for true freshmen who started a season opener. Sophomore D Nicholas Contino (Branchburg, N.J.) started the 2011 opener vs. Wagner. Junior G Rudy Butler (Belle Mead, N.J.) got the starting nod to begin the season at Wagner in 2010. Seniors Michael Diehl (Flemington, N.J.), Kevin Hover (Belle Mead, N.J.) and Jacob Fradkin (Brooklandville, Md.) started vs. Villanova to kick off 2009.
FANTASTIC FOUR
RU seniors Jacob Fradkin (Owings Mills, Md.), Will Mangan (Maplewood, N.J.), Zachary Zenda (Monmouth Jct., N.J.) and Nicholas Zerrillo (Brewerton, N.Y.) head up the Scarlet Knights' leadership efforts on the field as team co-captains. Fradkin has started 42 games in his career. The defenseman caused 19 turnovers last season. Mangan, a midfielder, started all 15 games in 2011, scoring 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists). Zenda saw action in 14 games for RU a year ago. The midfielder caused seven turnovers and scooped four ground balls. Zerrillo, a midfielder, scored seven points (6 goals, 1 assist) in 13 appearances for the Scarlet Knights in 2011.
