Bested by Buckeyes: No. 19 Rutgers men's lacrosse stumbles in loss to Ohio State
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team was defeated 14-8 by Ohio State on Saturday evening. The Scarlet Knights (6-4, 0-2) could not generate any momentum on offense against the Buckeyes (6-5, 1-1) and have now lost two straight games.
It was a back-and-forth first quarter as both sides traded goals to begin the contest. Ohio State eventually started to take control of the game, scoring 2 straight goals to lead 3-1 after the first 15 minutes of play. Freshman midfielder Colin Kurdyla scored 1 of No. 19 Rutgers' 8 shots in the first quarter.
The Knights began the second quarter with a tally from senior midfielder Jack Aimone. The goal ended Rutgers' 15-minute scoring drought. The Buckeyes would keep the Knights at bay by scoring 2 more goals, but junior attacker Logan Peters netted his 1st goal of the season to cut the latter's deficit to 2 goals to end the first half.
Heading into halftime, Rutgers trailed 5-3 in what was a poor first half offensively. The Knights attempted 16 shots but were only able to place seven of them on target and scored just 3 goals.
Ohio State came out of the locker room hot, scoring 2 goals in 11 seconds to extend its lead to 4 goals. Alex Marinier followed soon after as he completed his hat trick with the man-up advantage, giving the Buckeyes their largest lead of the game at the time.
Graduate student face-off Cole Brams and Marinier traded goals before graduate student attacker Ross Scott and senior midfielder Shane Knobloch found the back of the cage to make it a 3-goal affair. Ohio State killed any momentum Rutgers had, as Jack McKenna scored on an empty net. Both teams traded goals to end the quarter, but the Buckeyes remained in front 11-7 heading into the final quarter.
Ohio State began the fourth quarter with a goal from Ben Mayer. Approximately 3 minutes later, Kurdyla scored a consolation goal for the Knights, and then the Buckeyes closed out the game with 2 more goals to seal the win.
Marinier led Ohio State with 5 goals. Knobloch had 2 goals and two assists, while Scott scored 1 goal and provided two assists. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller had 12 saves in the loss.
Rutgers remains winless in conference action and will next play two tough road games against Michigan and Maryland. The game against the Wolverines (6-4, 1-1) will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
For more updates on the Rutgers men's lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on X.
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