The Rutgers men's lacrosse team opened up their season ranked 9th in the country. The Scarlet Knights started the 2023 campaign with a decisive 20-8 win over Marist. During the home opener, the Scarlet Knights showed they were able to play fast. The offense was the story of this one as they jumped out on Marist early and never looked back. Rutgers was led by sophomore Dante Kulas who netted 5 goals in the victory.
It all started Brian Cameron pinning the top right corner to get Rutgers on the board early on. Just 11 seconds later, they showed the transition game. Dante Kulas cashed in on a time and room shot to extend the lead to 2-0. Rutgers continued its offensive pressure and scored two more goals to lead 4-0. The Red Foxes responded with a pair of goals to cut the lead to 4-2 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter broke this one wide open. Brian Cameron showed off his dodging ability at X and put away his second goal. This would set the tone for the rest of the quarter because it was all Scarlet Knights. Rutgers goalie Kyle Mullin had a key save and threw a terrific outlet pass to senior defenseman Bobby Russo. The long pole would go coast to coast and rip one low to high for a huge momentum booster. The transition game would continue to shine throughout the game. Midfielder Noah Daniels caused a turnover and Rutgers would score another goal in transition with Scott Ross being the beneficiary. The next faceoff would immediately turn into a goal for Dante Kulas who made a living with his righty step down shot. The lead was 8-2 for Rutgers and they continued their dominance the rest of the quarter. They would come away with a 12-2 lead at halftime. Rutgers outshot Marist 36-10 in the first half.
Rutgers would cruise through the 2nd half and end up coming away with a 20-8 victory. Mullin led the way defensively with 10 saves. Rutgers faceoff specialist Jonathan Dugenio went 16-24 from the X and helped Rutgers control possession of this one. They were perfect on clears through three quarters and they won the turnover battle and the groundball war.
Rutgers will welcome Stony Brook on February 11th at 1 o’clock for their second game of the season. It will be the first game for Stony Brook this year. Rutgers defeated Stony Brook last season by the score of 17-16. You can watch this game on Big Ten Plus.
