PISCATAWAY, N.J. -  Despite two goals from both  Christian Trasolini and Jeff George, Rutgers (4-9, 0-3) fell to No. 3/3 Maryland (11-1, 3-0), 9-8, Sunday night at High Point Solutions Stadium. The Scarlet Knights led 4-2 at halftime and mounted a comeback to tie the score at 8-8 with less than four minutes to play before the final result.

"I'm very proud of our guys tonight," head coach Brian Brecht said. "This effort was a reflection of how they prepared and how they committed to this game plan and their opponent all throughout the week. We had a great week of practice, both individually and collectively as a whole, and it showed out there tonight against the number three team in the country."

Down 8-6 at the 11-minute mark in the fourth quarter, RU started its comeback. Scott Bieda found Brian Goss for a man up goal with 7:04 left in the contest. Bieda then scored an unassited goal at the 3:34 mark to tie the game at eight. But Matt Rambo would score an unassited goal with 13 seconds left in the game to secure the win for Maryland.

After the Terrapins scored the first goal of the contest, Rutgers went on a 4-1 scoring run to end the first half. Chad Toliver scored the first goal for RU with 14:09 left in the second quarter, while Trasolini and George scored back-to-back unassited strikes to make it 3-1 in favor of the Scarlet Knights. Nardella's goal at the 3:16 mark gave Rutgers a 4-2 lead at the conclusion of the first half.

"We had a lot of guys getting in on the action," Brecht said. "Joe Nardella was great facing off. Our defense was strong against a talented Maryland team. I'm proud of the way they fought for sixty minutes. This team is as competitive as any team I've seen. We just have to stay true to who we are and keep fighting every time."

Rutgers' Scott Bieda contributed one goal and one assist, while freshman Chad Toliver and senior Brian Goss each had goals. The Scarlet Knights held a 38-28 advantage in shots and a 24-20 edge in ground balls. 

Joe Nardella had a strong game for Rutgers at the faceoff "X", winning 11-of-21 faceoffs against the Terrapins. Nardella also led the Scarlet Knights with seven groundballs.

The game will be re-aired by the Big Ten Network at 9 a.m. on Monday morning. 

Next up for the Scarlet Knights is a Sunday night away contest at Penn State. The game will begin at 6 p.m. and will be televised nationally by the Big Ten Network.

POSTGAME NOTES

• The crowd of 1,776 was the largest of the season at High Point Solutions Stadium.
• Christian Trasolini had his seventh multi-goal game of the season. 
• Jeff George had his third multi-goal game of the season.
• Rutgers scored the third most goals this season against Maryland goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr, who entered the game with a conference-best 5.04 goals-against average.
• Senior Brian Goss has set new career-high with 17 goals and 25 ground balls this season. 
• Senior Joe Nardella tied his career high with his 13th point of the season.