PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers University scored the first three goals of the game and then had the first five in the second half, and the 13
th-ranked Scarlet Knights defeated the fifth-ranked Greyhounds, 10-6, on Saturday in non-conference action.
Loyola came back to tie the score at 3-3 in the second quarter, and tit was tied, 4-4, at halftime, but the Scarlet Knights scored seven seconds into the third quarter and then added four more over the next 10-plus minutes to build a 9-4 lead.
Matthew Minicus would add his second goal of the game just before the end of the third quarter, and fellow freshman
Henry Haberman beat his man from 'X' to score at 11:39 in the fourth to make it 9-6 Scarlet Knights, but the Greyhounds would not draw closer.
Minicus had two goals to lead the Greyhounds, while
Evan James and
Adam Poitras both added a goal and an assist. Haberman and
Luke Murphy both scored, while
Davis Lindsey and
Seth Higgins each had an assist.
Luke Staudt made 14 saves against 10 goals allowed in between the pipes for Loyola (2-1 overall).
Neither team got off to a quick start in the first quarter, but Rutgers (3-1) found the scoreboard first when Dante Kulas scored at 8:10 off a Ryan Decker assist in transition. Kulas then scored again on extra-man at 6:57, before Shane Knobloch scored his first of three goals at 5:07 in the first.
James broke through for the Greyhounds at 4:24 in the first as Poitras rolled back topside form goal-line extended and found James cutting toward the right side.
The Greyhounds tallied their second of the game after breaking up a Rutgers man-down clear attempt. Higgins desticked a Rutgers short-stick defensive midfielder, and
Luke Murphy picked up the ground ball. Murphy then took a 40-yard shot with the goal open and scored at 1:44.
Poitras evened the game at 3-3 when he scored on a James assist at 8:13 in the second quarter, but Knobloch put Rutgers up, 4-3, with a goal at 2:42.
Loyola went on extra-man again – it finished 2 of 3 on the day – and Minicus caught on the right side with time and room for a goal off a Higgins feed with 1:25 left in the half.
Jonathan Dugenio won the opening faceoff of the second half to himself, and he hit Kulas on left point for a goal seven second in, and Knobloch then created and fed Ross Scott for a goal at 13:58 to make it 6-4 Scarlet Knights.
Knobloch was involved in the next three goals, scoring his own at 11:42 before assisting on Brian Cameron and Jack Aimone goals at 6:12 and 4:13.
After the Minicus and Haberman goals, Knobloch assisted on the final tally for Rutgers, a Cameron bouncer.
Kyle Mullin made 16 saves in goal for Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights had a 40-35 advantage in total shots.
Loyola will be back in action on Wednesday, March 1, when it plays at Towson University in a 6 p.m. game at Unitas Stadium.
