Rutgers University
University of Virginia
MLAX falls to No. 6/5 Virgina
Feb 21 | Men's Lacrosse
RVision Highlights
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In their home opener at High Point Solutions Stadium, the Scarlet Knights were unable to topple a top-five opponent, falling to No. 6/5 Virginia 14-5 in front of 821 fans. Rutgers (1-2) held a 39-33 advantage in shots and got three goals from captain Scott Bieda, but were unable to capitalize on key opportunities against the Cavaliers (3-0).
"It's great for our program to have the No. 5 team in the country come to High Point Solutions Stadium," head coach Brian Brecht said. "It's exciting to play against these teams, and we want to challenge ourselves with our scheduling. When you have those challenges, to have success, you have to make your opportunities count. We did some nice things and got some good shots. We have to connect on those to win a game like this."
Virginia started the game ahead 2-0 after eight minutes, scoring a pair of goals a minute apart. Rutgers answered as Zack Sikora scored an unassisted goal, his second of the season. The Cavaliers pushed their lead to 6-1 entering halftime, with Zed Williams completing a hat trick in the first half.
The third quarter started with Christian Trasolini firing the ball into the cage to cut the lead to 6-2. The Cavaliers added three more goals to extend their lead before Bieda caught fire.
The junior captain scored three of the game's next four goals to spark a second half run. Bieda's first two tallies cut the UVA lead to 9-4 and later 10-5 with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Cavaliers closed strong in the fourth quarter to clinch the 14-5 victory.
The Scarlet Knights held a 31-30 edge in ground balls, led by six from Joe Nardella. RU was 0-of-4 on extra-man opportunities.
Brian Goss, Chad Toliver and Jules Heningburg each had an assist, all on a Bieda goal. Kris Alleyne took his second loss in net, stopping five shots, while Matt Barrett made 12 saves in goal for UVA. The Cavaliers were led by four goals from Williams and three from Greg Coholan.
"We're getting better each week," Brecht said. "We're a better team now than we were a week ago. To challenge ourselves against a team like Virginia is going to help us going forward. We have five games in the next 14 days. We'll put this one behind us and get ready for the midweek game coming up."
The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Tuesday, hosting Wagner at 3 p.m. Today's game was the first of five home games in a 14-day span.
POSTGAME NOTES
· Scott Bieda tied his career-high in goals, with his fifth career three goal game. He led the team in goals for the second consecutive game, and currently paces RU with six goals and eight assists.
· Freshman Chad Toliver now has a team-high three assists.
· Jeff George and Michael Rexrode each caused two turnovers.
· Virginia now leads the all-time series 6-4, including the last four meetings.
· The Scarlet Knights have used the same starting lineup in all three games: attackers Scott Bieda, Jules Heningburg and Jeff George, midfielders Christian Trasolini, Brian Goss and Christian Mazzone, and defenders Nick Capparelli, Branford Rogers, and Michael Rexrode.
