March 3, 2015 Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - On a snowy afternoon in High Point Solutions Stadium, the Scarlet Knights mounted a late comeback but were unable to complete an upset bid against No. 9/11 Army, falling 9-7. Rutgers (2-4) rallied to outscore Army (5-1) by a 4-2 margin in the second half and drew within two goals twice in the fourth quarter, but could not generate the equalizer down the stretch.
Junior attack Scott Bieda led the Scarlet Knights with two goals and two assists, and senior midfielder Brian Goss added two goals in the loss.
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort today," head coach Brian Brecht explained. "I thought the focus and execution of our game plan was good. Credit goes to our captains and our coaching staff, who did a great job with a quick turnaround to get the team focused. The energy was a lot better today."
The Black Knights got out to an early advantage, taking a 6-1 lead. RU's only goal in the opening 25 minutes came from the stick of senior midfielder Rich Rambo, his first of the season.
The momentum swung on a series of Army penalties, with Rutgers capitalizing on the extra-man opportunities. With 4:16 left in the first half, Brian Goss took a feed from freshman Jules Heningburg and fired it home. On the next possession, Army was again penalized, and again it was Goss scoring a quick man-up goal, cutting the deficit to 6-3. Army put a goal home with just 13 seconds remaining in the half, and took a 7-3 lead at halftime.
To opening the second half, Rutgers took a penalty, but this time it was the man-down unit coming through for the first time this season. Bieda scored his 10th of the season, with freshman Christian Scarpello picking up his second assist of the year.
Army scored again to make the lead 8-4, but RU again had an answer, with goals from Heningburg and Bieda. The Scarlet Knights pushed hard down the stretch, adding a late goal from Ryan Hollingsworth, but ultimately fell by the 9-7 margin.
POSTGAME NOTES
· Jake Andersen got his second start in goal this season, making nine saves.
· T.J. Greenhill made his season debut, playing the last 1:12 in goal.
· Rutgers led Army 36-24 in ground balls and 41-33 in shots.
· Joe Nardella was 13-of-19 on faceoffs and led the team with nine ground balls.
· Jules Heningburg had a career-high five ground balls.
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