Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - No. 1 Rutgers men's lacrosse took its first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, falling 13-9 at Delaware (7-3). Freshman Kieran Mullins led the Scarlet Knights (8-1) with four goals and two assists for six points.

"Today was not a good shooting day for us," head coach Brian Brecht said. "We have a lot of good systems in place if we play together and execute. But today we didn't execute in some of those situations that we prepare for and drill for. It's still March, hopefully we have a burning hunger in our belly to get back to practice and continue to get better."

The Scarlet Knights led 45-35 in shots, but saw Delaware goalkeeper Matt Deluca make 19 saves. Rutgers was 11-of-26 on faceoffs and was limited to 1-of-6 on extra-man opportunities. RU caused 13 turnovers, with five players recording two.

Jules Heningburg had two goals and an assist, while Jeff George (one goal, two assists) and Casey Rose (one goal, one assist) joining him with multi-point days. Josh Jordan also added a goal.

The Scarlet Knights got on the board first, with George firing home the game's first goal. However the Blue Hens took control of the first half from that point, scoring the next seven goals as RU experienced a near 20 minute scoring drought. A Mullins wraparound goal made the deficit 7-2 heading into intermission.

The visitors made a huge push in the third quarter, outscoring UD 5-2 in the frame. After the Blue Hens made their lead 9-3, Rutgers answered with three goals in a 93-second span. That kicked off a five goal Rutgers spurt that brought them within one goal at 9-8 with 14:34 remaining in the game.

However, Delaware responded with the next four goals, pushing the lead back to five. Heningburg added a tally in the waning seconds to snap a 14-minute scoreless drought and give a final score of 13-9.

This was the final nonconference game for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers begins Big Ten play at Johns Hopkins Friday night at 7 p.m. The game can be viewed on Watch ESPN.

Postgame Notes

Freshman Kieran Mullins (four goals, two assists, six points) tied his career-high in goals (third time with four) and points. He has at least four points in each of his past six games.

Mullins leads the team with 23 goals and 35 points.

Chris Groel had five ground balls for a team-high seventh time with at least five GBs this season.

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers men's lacrosse, follow the program and Brecht on Twitter (@RUMLax and @RUlaxCoach) and Facebook. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.