PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 20 Rutgers men's lacrosse defeated Hofstra 10-7 in the team's final non-conference game. The Scarlet Knights were led offensively by Adam Charalambides (four goals) and Kieran Mullins (one goal and four assists). Max Edelmann made 18 saves. 

Mark Schachte and Ryan Gallagher each had two goals, with David Sprock adding a tally. Kyle Pless had four caused turnovers. Hofstra held a 33-30 advantage in ground balls and 43-30 in shots. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Rutgers scored first on a Charalambides tally, and would never relinquish the lead. Ryan Gallagher tallied twice in the first quarter to give RU a 3-1 lead after one. The Scarlet Knights held a 5-4 lead at halftime.

Rutgers used five straight goals to extend their lead to 9-4, holding the Pride scoreless from the 9:37 mark of the second quarter until there were 5:51 left in the game. Schachte scored two extra-man goals in the second half to add to Rutgers advantage. Charalambides had the final RU goal of the game with 52 seconds to play, and Hofstra added a late goal for the 10-7 final margin.

QUOTABLE
"We had a great week of practice. We tailored some things so we could play to our strengths. And our strengths include Max Edelmann in the cage, he had another outstanding game. We did a good job clearing the ball and putting it in the back of the net, scoring in double-digits. Extra-man was big, going 3-for-6. I thought Kyle Pless and Garrett Bullett did a great job on the defensive end. Having Mark Christiano back in the lineup was a huge shot in the arm for us, having a veteran like him helping on the defensive end. This is a great opportunity for all the guys in our locker room to head into conference play off a win."

- Head Coach Brian Brecht

NOTABLE

• Kieran Mullins had four assists, giving him 20 on the season through seven games, a new best for him after recording 17 last season.
• Mulllins has had at least one goal and three total points in every game he's played in this season.
• Adam Charalambides had four goals, his fourth time this season with at least four goals. He has scored 70 goals in 25 career games.
• Mullins leads the team with 37 points on the year while Charalambides has the team-lead with 27 goals and is second with 35 points.
• Max Edelmann had 18 saves, his third game this season with at least 18 saves. He entered the contest third in the nation in saves per game (15.67), record a total above that average in the victory.
• Kyle Pless tied his career-high with four caused turnovers. He entered the day leading the Big Ten in caused turnovers, and now has 16 on the season.
• Ethan Rall had a career-high four ground balls.
• Garrett Bullett tied his career-high with four ground balls.

The victory improves Rutgers' record to 5-4 on the season. The team will begin Big Ten Conference play at Ohio State next Saturday. 

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