PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's lacrosse held off a tough opponent in its season opener, claiming a 14-12 victory over Lehigh to ensure a 1-0 start to the 2024 campaign.
Shane Knobloch and
Jack Aimone each had a hat trick, while
Dante Kulas,
Ross Scott and
John Sidorski all had two goals in front of 1,051 fans at SHI Stadium.
Tanner Germain and
Ryan Splaine supplemented the goal scoring. Kulas and Scott each had three assists, while Sidorski had a pair of helpers.
Cardin Stoller made 10 saves in his debut in the cage, while
Matt Soutar and
Cole Brams each went 9-of-15 at the faceoff 'X' with six ground balls.
"I give our guys a lot of credit, we stayed in the moment for all sixty minutes," head coach
Brian Brecht said. "We were able to chip away after we fell behind and chip away, build the lead and hold it. Lehigh is a good team, they are always near the top of their conference, we knew we would get their best. Our non-conference games are tough and will prepare us for the Big Ten slate. I'm glad our guys were able to get that test and come away with a win."
Lehigh got out to an early advantage taking advantage of a strong start to build a 5-2 lead after one quarter. The Scarlet Knights came back with a key four-goal run, taking their first lead of the day at 7-6. The visitors had the final tally of the first half with the waning seconds to have the game deadlocked at 7-7 at intermission.
In the third quarter, the teams exchanged goals early, before another scoring run for RU propelled them into a 11-8 lead. Newcomer
John Sidorski, playing against his former squad, put home two goals just 11 seconds apart to give RU an 11-8 lead.
The Mountain Hawks would not relent, continuing to tally and push back. However, the visitors were unable to get any closer than 12-11. Preseason All-American's
Ross Scott and
Jack Aimone had the final two goals of the game to give the hosts a 14-12 win.
"On offense, we were winning our matchups,"
Jack Aimone said. "Our new guys have been integrated into our system and did a good job in big spots. Hopefully we can keep it going moving forward."
Postgame Notes
- Rutgers improved to 41-8-1 all-time against Lehigh, 41-3 since 1926 and 15-1 since 1961.
- Rutgers has won 12 straight season openers and has won 20 of their past 22 season openers.
- Dante Kulas tied his career-high with three assists.
- LSM Ryan Splaine scored his first career goal.
- Zak Conley had a career-high three ground balls and one caused turnover.
- First start at Rutgers (6): Tanyr Krummenacher (A), John Sidorski (M), Ben McKelvy (D), Tommy Mendyke (D), Conor Udovich (D), Cardin Stoller (GK).
- First collegiate start (4): Ben McKelvy (D), Tommy Mendyke (D), Conor Udovich (D), Cardin Stoller (GK).
- Collegiate Debut: Conor Udovich, Cardin Stoller, Colin Kurdyla
Gallery: (2-3-2024) Men's Lacrosse Clips Lehigh
