April 5, 2017
Rutgers Game Notes
PISCATAWAY. N.J. - No. 12 Rutgers men's lacrosse (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten) plays its second Big Ten Conference game Saturday, returning to the road to face Michigan (8-2, 0-1). The game at Michigan Stadium will start at 11 a.m. and be broadcast nationally by the Big Ten Network.
Rutgers is seeking to halt a two-game losing streak that followed an 8-0 start and rising to No. 1 nationally in the Media Poll. The Scarlet Knights opened conference play with a 12-6 loss at No. 13 Johns Hopkins despite three goals from Connor Murphy.
RU's defense currently leads the nation with 11 caused turnovers per game. Michael Rexrode, who was named a Midseason First Team All-American by Inside Lacrosse, tops the conference with 1.9 caused turnovers per game. Fellow defenseman Chris Groel leads all Big Ten defensemen with 4.5 ground balls per game.
Michigan currently is the top team in the receiving votes category, placing them just outside of the nation's top-20. The Scarlet Knights previously faced Army West Point when they resided in that spot, and gave the now-No. 6 Black Knights their only loss of the season. RU is 3-1 against top-20 teams, with wins over No. 19 Brown, No. 14 Stony Brook and No. 15 Princeton.
The Wolverines are led offensively by Ian King, who has 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points. Their top goal-scorer, Brent Noseworthy, has 31 goals. Between the pipes, Tommy Heidt has an 8.52 goals-against-average and .574 save percentage.
UM's two losses both came to top-10 teams in No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 9 Maryland, while claiming a win over No. 10 Penn. The Wolverines are coached by John Paul, who led the program at the club level until guiding the transition to Division I in 2011. In six seasons as a Division I program, Michigan is 23-57.
The Scarlet Knights are 2-1 against the Wolverines, winning the initial meeting in 2012, taking a loss in the last trip to Michigan in 2015, and winning 13-6 last season. Last season's victory featured five goals from attackman Jules Heningburg. He also tallied twice against them as a freshman for seven goals in two career games versus the Wolverines.
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 .
