No. 6/7 Men's Lacrosse Claims Meistrell Cup in OT Win Against No. 13/14 Princeton

Saturday, March 11

Piscataway, N.J.

1:00 PM

Rutgers University

6-1

Princeton

2-3

Princeton

Rutgers

No. 6/7 Men's Lacrosse Claims Meistrell Cup in OT Win Against No. 13/14 Princeton

Mar 11 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — In the 100th playing of the Rutgers-Princeton men's lacrosse rivalry, the Scarlet Knights (6-1) reclaimed the rights to the Tots Meistrell Cup on Saturday with a dramatic, 14-13 overtime victory over the Tigers (2-3) at SHI Stadium. Dante Kulas' game-high fourth goal of the contest won it for Rutgers 1:18 into overtime on an assist from Shane Knobloch after Joe Neuman won a crucial faceoff to begin extra time.

Brian Cameron scored a hat trick and added two assists for Rutgers, including a go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter. Knobloch finished with five points on two goals and three assists, including the helper on the overtime game-winner. Rutgers finishes a four-game homestand winners of four-straight.

"This is a big win for our guys and I am very proud of the time they put in, their maturity level, and the focus they had this week," said head coach Brian Brecht. "They rose to the occasion and executed when they needed to on offense and defense. That Tops Meistrell Cup means a lot to our alumni and our program here at Rutgers. When you have the 100^th all-time meeting between the two schools and to win it at home in that 100^th meeting, it is pretty special and something they will remember for the rest of their lives."

Rutgers' first lead did not come until 22 seconds left in the first half, when Cameron fed Kulas for a goal and the 9-8 lead. It capped a 7-3 second quarter for the Scarlet Knights, sparked by back-to-back Knobloch goals and topped off by a 4-0 run heading to halftime with goals by Noah Daniels, Ross Scott, David Sprock, and Kulas. Princeton had led 2-0 and 5-2 after one quarter.

The 100th rivalry meeting teetered in the third quarter with tie scores at 9-9, 11-11, and 12-12 at the end of three, with go-ahead markers by Kulas, Jack Aimone. Cameron started the fourth-quarter with a tally for the 13-12 lead, but the defenses buckled in during a low-scoring frame. Princeton evened the score 4:32 to play, which held until the end of regulation to force overtime.

Neuman, who was 11-of-19 at the X on Saturday, won the most important faceoff the day to start overtime, scooping the groundball and starting the RU attack. After a wide shot and maintaining possession after a timeout, Knobloch found Kulas right in front of the crease on the right side, and his shot found the back of the net from close range to claim the Meistrell Cup.

"I just saw a lot of maturity and focus [on the final play]," Brecht said. "We had a timeout, and we were able to get organized. They were able to play out of it and take advantage of opportunities. We had something scripted in the beginning, but in the end, it came down to just playing lacrosse, playing off each other and trusting each other."
"We had a set play drawn up and we scrambled off that," Kulas said. "I found myself off the side, left-handed and pretty wide open, so I caught it lefty, took one cradle, saw the back of the net and just shot. I kind of knew where I was going to put it and I am glad it went in."

Goalkeeper Kyle Mullin made 13 saves in net. Rutgers outshot Princeton, 53-38, and committed just 12 turnovers as the Scarlet Knights continue to rank Top 5 in the nation in fewest turnovers. RU won the groundball battle, 38-29, while both teams went 2-for-3 on the man-up opportunities.

Postgame Notes

Rutgers has won three consecutive games against Princeton when the Meistrell Cup has been contested in Piscataway.
Princeton now leads the all-time series 65-32-3. Saturday was the 100th lifetime meeting between the two programs, the seventh longest contested series in the NCAA as it dates back to 1922. The Scarlet Knights have faced the Tigers in every season since 1922, with the exception of 1944 and 1945 for World War II and the 2021 season, when teams only faced their conference opponents.

Up Next
Rutgers heads back out on the road for a contest at UMass on Sat., March 18 at 1 p.m.

Gallery: (3-11-2023) MLAX vs. Princeton