BALTIMORE – No. 18 Rutgers men's lacrosse made a comeback attempt in the second half, outscoring No. 20 Johns Hopkins 7-3 over the game's final 17 minutes. The late push fell just short, with the Blue Jays (6-4, 2-0 Big Ten) hanging on for a 15-13 victory over the Scarlet Knights (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten).
 
Rutgers was led offensively by four goals from Ryan Gallagher and six assists from Kieran Mullins. Adam Charalambides added three goals while Joe Peterson and Tommy Coyne each scored twice. Max Edelmann made 14 saves.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

The home team took advantage out of the gate, as Johns Hopkins ran out to a 6-0 lead after 21 minutes of action. Rutgers pushed back, scoring the next three goals, with Michael Sanguinetti breaking the ice, then Tommy Coyne and Adam Charalambides scored to bring the Scarlet Knights back within three. The Blue Jays had two late goals, and JHU took an 8-3 lead into halftime.
 
In the second half, JHU scored, then Joe Peterson and Ryan Gallagher answered back, both off assists from Kieran Mullins, to make the score 9-5.  Gallagher added and second four minutes later, but the Blue Jays stretched their lead to 12-6.
 
The Scarlet Knights did not quit. RU had a 5-1 run to cut the Hopkins lead to 13-11. Owen Mead started the run, Charalambides tallied in transition, then Gallagher and Peterson tallied within 34 second of each other to bring the visitors within 13-10 with 13 minutes to play. Then it was Tommy Coyne scoring off a feed from Mullins, the junior's sixth assist of the day, to get the Scarlet Knights back within two. The team's traded scores down the stretch, with Rutgers unable to cut further into the deficit, falling by a two-goal margin.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Ryan Gallagher tied his career-high with four goals.
  • He had his fourth multi-goal game of the season and his third straight game with at least two goals.
• Joe Peterson had his first career multi-goal game.
• Kieran Mullins had six assists, tying his career-high.
• Mullins has 51 points on the season, trying his previous career-high.
• In his last four games, Mullins has posted 20 assists and 26 points.

QUOTABLE
 
"We didn't start out with the same edge this week. When you play a team this talented, you can't spot them that lead. I love my guys a lot, we have a lot of great young men in that locker room. We need to understand what it takes to win big games. This is a missed opportunity that is disappointing.
 
I thought a couple guys really came on in the second half, but we need that edge for all sixty minutes. Max did a good job saving the ball and starting transition. We had good opportunities in transition, and that's what we do. I thought our defense battled and were good, but we can't allow what we did and expect to win a game like this on the road." 

• Head Coach Brian Brecht

"We have to be ready to play right off the whistle. We started clicking more in the second half. We fought hard in the second half, we didn't quit and kept on firing."

• Junior Attackman Kieran Mullins

Rutgers will return home to host No. 2 Maryland Sunday. That game will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast nationwide by the Big Ten Network.

Tickets for the 2019 season are on sale through the Rutgers Ticket Office online or by calling 1-866-445-GORU (4678).
 
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.