Rutgers men's lacrosse set for tough road game against No. 5 Maryland
The Rutgers men's lacrosse team will remain on the road for its clash with Maryland on Saturday. The Terrapins (7-3, 2-1) will be another test in what has been a difficult road slate for the Scarlet Knights (7-4, 1-2).
After losing its first two Big Ten contests, Rutgers regained momentum with an impressive 9-7 win over Michigan last weekend. The Knights played stout defense to earn their first ranked win and conference win of the campaign, holding the Wolverines (6-5, 1-2) to a season-low 7 goals, as redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller made 19 saves.
Rutgers also held Michigan scoreless for more than 25 minutes, as Stoller, junior defenders Ben McKelvy and Tommy Mendyke and graduate student defender Harris Hubbard all excelled.
No. 5 Maryland is coming off a narrow 8-7 win over Ohio State in what was a defensive battle between both sides. The Terrapins kept the Buckeyes (6-6, 1-2) scoreless for more than 26 minutes to claim their second straight conference win.
Maryland has scored a conference-low 114 goals but also boasts the second-best defense in the Big Ten, conceding 105 goals in 10 games. Braden Erksa and Daniel Maltz have each scored more than 19 goals to pace the Terrapin offense. Eric Malever has dished out a team-high 15 assists and has netted 11 goals.
Ajax Zappitello leads the backline with 18 caused turnovers, the third-most in the Big Ten. Maryland is also strong on the faceoff, as Luke Wierman has won 59.6 percent of his faceoffs and has scooped up 77 ground balls, which are both the second-highest in the conference. Between the pipes, Logan McNaney has a save percentage of 50.2 and owns a goals-against average of 10.41.
Despite coming off a statement win, the Knights do not have a positive record against the Terrapins. Rutgers earned its sole win against Maryland on March 22, 1980, and has lost all other 37 contests. Last season, the Knights lost to the Terrapins twice, 11-8 on Senior Night and 14-11 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
With only two games left in the regular season, Rutgers will likely need to defeat Maryland or Penn State and make a run in the Big Ten Tournament to have a shot at earning an NCAA Tournament berth. Stoller, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and Big Ten Specialist of the Week for his performance against the Wolverines, will be key again in this game.
Saturday's contest will begin at 7 p.m. in College Park, Maryland, and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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