About the Game

No. 5 Rutgers men's lacrosse returns home this weekend to host No. 3 Maryland. The game is Sunday at noon and will be televised by ESPNU, with Chris Cotter and Paul Carcaterra on the call. The game will also air on the radio on WRSU (88.7 FM). The contest marks the second top-5 showdown in a 15-day span between the Scarlet Knights and Terrapins.

Tickets Now Available

The game will be the first under new increased venue capacity rules for Rutgers athletics. SHI Stadium can now operate at 15 percent of its total capacity. Tickets for men's lacrosse will go on sale Friday, March 26 at 10 a.m. via www.scarletknights.com/Tickets. Tickets must be purchased online and will be delivered via mobile device only. No in-person day of game sales will be allowed. More ticket information can be found here. For fans attending that do not have a Rutgers parking permit, you must register your car in advance for free parking by following this link.

About the Team

RU has started the season 4-1 overall, with three ranked wins, while Maryland has begun the season 5-0 with four ranked wins. The two squads are the only conference teams with records above .500. 

Rutgers enters the game off of a 15-9 at No. 14 Johns Hopkins last week. The Scarlet Knights were led by eight points (five goals and three assists) from Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Kieran Mullins, finishing the game on a 7-1 run to finish off their first victory over JHU since 2016. The defense held the Blue Jays to two goals in the second half behind 12 saves from goalkeeper Colin Kirst. 

The Scarlet Knights rank in the top-ten in the nation in turnovers (second, 12 per game), man-up offense (second, .727), assists (fifth, 10.6), points (fifth, 27.0), clearing percentage (fifth, .914), scoring offense (sixth, 16.4) and shot percentage (sixth, .363). RU also leads the Big Ten with 13.0 saves per game. Individually, each of Rutgers' starting attackmen (Mullins, Charalambides, Kirst) rank among the top-seven in the league in goals, and points. Colin Kirst leads the league in saves per game (12.6) and is second in goals-against-average (11.94).

Quotable

"I'm proud of how our team has handheld everything so far with discipline and focus. This is a veteran, seasoned group. Our guys are very motivated. The chemistry and comradery has been great. We're a tight knit team and that's been showing on game day. Maryland is fresh in our memory having just played them. It was a competitive game that was within one goal heading into the fourth quarter. We have to do what we do well and stick to our game plan. We need to take care of ourselves and play Rutgers lacrosse."

Head Coach Brian Brecht

Record Book Chasing

Kieran Mullins enters the game with 112 goals, 94 assists and 206 points in his career. He needs just one point to tie Jules Heningburg for second all-time at Rutgers, one goal to tie for ninth and seven assists to tie for seventh all-time at RU. Adam Charalambides enters the game with 124 goals in his career. He needs four goals to tie Ryan O'Shea for fifth all-time at Rutgers. 

About Maryland 

The Terrapins swept the initial trip through the league, winning each game by at least six goals. UMD leads the nation in assists and turnovers and has the fifth best scoring offense in the country. Individually, Logan Wisnauskas leads the Big Ten in assists (3.0) and points (5.8), Nick Grill leads the league in caused turnovers (2.0), Daniel Maltz leads the league in goals (4.0), Jared Bernhardt shares the league lead in points per game (5.8) and is second in goals (3.8) and Logan McNaney leads the league with a 9.24 goals-against-average. 

About the Series 

Rutgers and Maryland have played 32 times dating back to 1928, with the Scarlet Knights earning their lone victory in 1980. In that contest, a 9-8 win, senior Bob Olsen led the way with a game-high five goals and added two assists. Bob Vencak (Rutgers Hall of Fame Class of 2017) excelled on defense in the game in marking Maryland's Bob Boniello, who is second all-time at UMD in points. The Terps took the initial game this season back on March 13, winning 19-12. In that game Adam Charalambides led the way with four goals, while Kieran Mullins had three goals and two assists. 

Veteran Attack Line

Rutgers boasts an elite veteran starting attack line. The trio, all of whom are on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, are at least 24 years old and have been in college for at least five years. All three have scored at least 100 career goals. 

Kieran Mullins (5th Year Senior with extra COVID-19 eligibility)
112 Career Goals + 94 Career Assists = 206 Career Points

Adam Charalambides (Graduate Student in 7th Year after 3 medical redshirts)
124 Career Goals + 44 Career Assists = 168 Career Points

Connor Kirst (5th Year Senior as Graduate Transfer from Villanova)
98 Career Goals + 50 Career Assists = 148 Career Points 

Transfer Influx

The Scarlet Knights have been buoyed by an influx of newcomers this season. Key among that have been a pair of graduate transfer brothers, the Kirsts. Connor (Villanova) and Colin (Lehigh) decided to come together to play their final year of college lacrosse at their father's alma matter. Kyle Kirst, a goalkeeper at Rutgers and well-regarded high school lacrosse coach in New Jersey, tragically passed away in 2016. Each came in and instantly joined the starting lineup. In addition, Jonathan Dugenio joined the Scarlet Knights from St. John's, and became the team's top faceoff man.

Fantastic Freshman

A product of Moorestown, N.J., Shane Knobloch earned a place as a starting midfielder as a true freshman and has made an instant impact. He has scored multiple goals in four of the first five games and has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times. Knobloch was ranked as the No. 4 freshman in the nation on Inside Lacrosse's Early Season Freshman rankings. 

Rope Unit

A key to the Scarlet Knights' success has been the play of the team's rope unit. RU uses a stable of four short-stick defensive midfielders (Tommy Coyne, Brennan Kammish, Cole Daninger, Zachary Franckowiak). The quarter allows RU to push the pace in transition, and all possess the ability to stay on the field and contribute on the offensive end. The team's early offense is boosted by excellent play from it's long-stick midfielders (Ethan Rall, Zach Masessa). 

Big Ten Only Schedule

In this unique season, the Scarlet Knights will play game only against Big Ten Conference teams. Rather than the usual five-game league schedule, RU will play 10 games, facing each team both home and away. At the midpoint, RU is in second place in the Big Ten at 4-1. The start marks the first ever 4-1 start to league play, as well as RU's most ever Big Ten wins. The Scarlet Knights had previously only won three league games once, coming in 2016. RU's two road Big Ten wins also marks a program record. 

Ranked Wins 

The Scarlet Knights opened the season with a statement, winning three games against ranked teams. The Scarlet Knights defeated No. 6 Penn State and won at No. 6 Ohio State and No. 14 Johns Hopkins. 
- First time with two ranked true road wins in one season since 2003
- First time with two top-10 wins in one season since 2016 
- First time with wins over 3 ranked wins in conference play since 2016
- First time for Rutgers with back-to-back ranked wins since 2018 

Rodkin Center

At the beginning of the semester, the team moved into its new facility, the Gary and Barbara Center for Academic Success. The state-of-the-art building features a brand-new locker room for the team as well as offices, film room and academic support.