PISCATAWAY, N.J. - An early deficit did in No. 9 Rutgers men's lacrosse on a ceremony filled Sunday night. On a Senior Night where RU honored a 21-member senior class and an Alumni Appreciation Day where the team recognized last year's Final Four run, No. 4 Maryland spoiled the festivities with an 11-8 win. The Terps raced out to a 5-0 lead after the first 16 minutes, and despite RU outscoring them 8-6 from there, including holding the Terps to just one goal over the final 22 minutes, the late comeback fell short.
The place was packed for the eventful day. Rutgers drew a program record attendance of 5,823. It was the third time over the past two seasons drawing over 5,000 fans for a game at Rutgers.
"It's a sixty minute game," head coach
Brian Brecht explained. "You can't take away those first 15 minutes. I did a poor job preparing the guys this week for us to fall down 5-0 on Senior Day and Alumni Day here for our last home game, understanding our opponent and being prepared to handle those emotions. We need to start off better and be more focused all over the place. There's a sense of urgency now. We're guaranteed two more games. We've got to take care of ourselves and win on the road."
Ross Scott led the team with five points on a career-high four assists.
Jack Aimone was the lone player with two goals. RU got 12 saves from
Kyle Mullin.
RU had a 36-30 advantage in shots and Maryland held a 27-25 in ground balls and 14-7 in faceoffs.
"I'm very proud of our seniors," Brecht said. "I'm sick that they had to finish their careers at home with that performance. It's tough on Senior Day with all those emotions, playing in front of the big crowds. Our alumni are a big part of our program and our seniors are a big part of our success over the past few years. When I think back on these seniors, I'll think about the Final Four run and all those big wins and they were a big part of that."
Up next, Rutgers finishes the regular season at No. 5 Penn State, a Friday night 6 p.m. BTN broadcast with Joe Beninati and Mark Dixon returning on the call. Currently in the Big Ten standings, three teams are tied for first at 3-1, and RU is tied with Michigan and Ohio State at 1-3 for fourth place.
RU is guaranteed to play a Big Ten Quarterfinal game on the weekend of April 29, as it can finish no higher than 4th place. RU is positioned to earn the fourth seed and earn a home game in the tournament with a win over Penn State and a Michigan victory next weekend over Ohio State. That scenario would place RU and Michigan into a tie for fourth place at 2-3 in the league, with RU having claimed the head-to-head matchup, and would see Rutgers host Michigan. If RU finishes fifth or sixth, the game would be on the road, either at Ohio State or against the loser of the Maryland/Johns Hopkins game. Projected scenarios can be found here, via
Patrick Stevens.
Final weekend paths:
- Rutgers Win, Michigan Win: Rutgers Hosts Michigan
- Ohio State Win over Michigan: Ohio State Hosts Rutgers
- Michigan Win but Rutgers Loss: Rutgers plays at Loser of Johns Hopkins vs. Maryland
Gallery: (4-16-2023) Men's Lacrosse Senior Day
Gallery: (4-16-2023) Men's Lacrosse versus Maryland
