PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 9 Rutgers hosts another ranked matchup Sunday, hosting No. 17 Michigan at noon. The game will be broadcast nationwide by ESPNU, with Chris Cotter and Ryan Boyle on the call, and will be broadcast on the radio by WRSU.
The game will be Rutgers senior day, as RU will recognize 14 seniors postgame. It is also Alumni Appreciation Day, with RU recognizing the 50th anniversary of the 1968 team, the 15th anniversary of Rutgers' NCAA Tournament squad from 2003, and the program's seven world team members.
"These seniors are the reason we are a top-10 program right now," head coach Brian Brecht said. "This senior class has been great over their careers to help us compete at the level we're playing at right now. I have been impressed with what our four captains have done on and off the field. I think the guys are excited for the opportunity to play at home on Senior Day against a conference rivals."
The game is the fourth in five games against a ranked opponent, with the next two opponents currently ranked as well. Head coach Brian Brecht will be going for his 50th win at the helm of the Scarlet Knights.
RU opened Big Ten play with a battle to the final seconds against No. 6 Johns Hopkins, falling 13-12. Freshman Ryan Gallagher had a career-high three points with a goal and two assists in the game, while Joe Francisco won a season-high 15 faceoffs. The team's three losses have come by a combined four goals, while also ranked foes in No. 12 Syracuse and No. 17 Lehigh.
Rutgers boasts one of the top-scoring midfield duos in the nation, as Christian Mazzone (18 goals) and Casey Rose (17 goals) represent one of just four sets of teammates nationally to have at least 17 goals from the midfield.
Mazzone is one of a trio of Scarlet Knights to be named a Midseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. He was a Third Team selection alongside fellow senior captain Jules Heningburg, who is sixth in the NCAA in points (51) and seventh in goals (29). Heningburg has the fifth longest active goal-scoring streak in the nation at 14 games, with 33 goals in that span. Senior CLASS Award Finalist Michael Rexrode was named an Honorable Mention Midseason All-American at defense.
RU also has gotten excellent play from their long-stick midfielders. Garrett Michaeli has a team-high 26 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers, while Kyle Pless is second on the team with 23 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
"We need to attack it every week," senior goalkeeper Max Edelmann said. "And this week is big for us with it being Senior Day. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in game with this senior group around me. We have a lot of leadership with this senior class, and we're very proud of that."
Michigan is 7-3 on the season, highlighted by a win over then-No. 4 Notre Dame. Midfielder Brent Noseworthy has 33 goals, good for second most in the nation. Nick DeCaprio leads the Big Ten with 1.7 caused turnovers per game. Freshman Connor Cronin is 82-of-150 at the faceoff 'X' this season (54.6%) Senior Tommy Heidt, who missed the beginning of the season due to injury, has started the last four games in goal and has a .560 save percentage.
Rutgers leads the all-time series against the Wolverines, 3-1. Last season, RU earned a 14-7 win in Ann Arbor as Kieran Mullins went off for eight goals and nine points. RU held a 13-3 lead in that contest after three quarters.
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