Tussle with Tigers: No. 16 Rutgers men's lacrosse readies for rivalry clash with No. 15 Princeton
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will battle with in-state rival Princeton on Sunday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights (5-1, 0-0) will take on the Tigers (3-2, 0-0) for the 101st time in program history, a matchup that dates back to 1922.
No. 16 Rutgers will defend the Tots Meistrell Cup against No. 15 Princeton after winning 14-13 last season in an overtime thriller at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. Junior attacker Dante Kulas was the hero, scoring 4 goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Senior midfielder Shane Knobloch had 5 points off 2 goals and three assists.
The Tigers have not started the 2024 season as they would have liked, losing tough contests on the road to Maryland and Duke. Princeton is still an opponent that should not be taken lightly, though, as it has one of the best attackers in the country in Coulter Mackesy. Last season, Mackesy netted 55 goals in 15 games and was named All-Ivy League First Team and a Second-Team U.S.A. Lacrosse Magazine All-American.
Mackesy has scored 12 goals this season but has support on offense from Nate Kabiri and Colin Burns. The duo of Kabiri and Burns have combined for 26 goals and nine assists, taking a scoring load off of Mackesy's shoulders.
The Tigers will look to goalkeeper Michael Gianforcaro to keep the Knights at bay. Gianforcaro has a save percentage of 58 percent and allows approximately 11 goals per game. His save percentage is the seventh-highest in the country.
Rutgers is coming off a 17-5 rout of Detroit Mercy. Eleven different Knights scored in the win, including a hat trick from graduate student attacker Tanyr Krummenacher.
Freshman midfielder Colin Kurdyla has had an impressive start to his first season on the Banks, scoring 9 goals and dishing out three assists. Kurdyla was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after netting his second career hat trick against Hofstra.
Rutgers has dominated the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award this season, winning the honor in 3 of the 5 weeks this season. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller won the accolade twice this campaign.
The Knights currently average 13.17 turnovers per game, the lowest in all of NCAA Division I lacrosse. It is a rather surprising stat, considering the fact that Rutgers has a roster full of new faces, featuring 16 new transfer players and 13 freshmen. Nonetheless, the Knights will need to remain sharp on the ball against a feisty opponent in Princeton.
Rutgers is now in the thick of the season, with matchups against UMass, Johns Hopkins, and Ohio State on the horizon. Every opponent remaining on the Knights' schedule is currently ranked in the top 20.
Sunday's contest will begin at noon and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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