Late Heroics Lift #12 Army Over #10 Rutgers
WEST POINT, N.Y. - In a battle between two nationally-ranked teams, the No. 12 Army West Point men's lacrosse team scored two goals in the final nine minutes and held on for a 9-7 victory over No. 10 Rutgers at Michie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Connor DeWitt and Austin Colvin recorded back-to-back goals to break a 7-7 tie with nine minutes left in the fourth. Dom Ricca came up with a big caused turnover on Jules Heningburg late in the game to preserve the 9-7 victory.
Matt Manown had a career-high four points on two goals and two assists to lead the Black Knights on the offensive end. In all, Army had seven different goal scorers in the game, including two goals from Nate Jones .
Tommy Coyne led Rutgers with a hat trick and an assist for four points, while Max Edelmann stopped 14 saves in the loss. AJ Barretto turned aside six shots in the victory.
HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
-The Black Knights are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 2015 and for the third time under head coach Joe Alberici.
-The series with Rutgers dates back to 1923 and Army won its 57th game against the Scarlet Knights.
-Alberici is now 8-4 against the Scarlet Knights in his Army coaching career.
-The victory ended a short two-game winning streak by Rutgers.
-Army is 3-0 to start the season at home.
-The last seven games against Rutgers have been decided by two goals or less and Army is 4-3 in those contests.
-The senior class has 35 wins as a group.
-Barretto moved to 24-11 in his career in the cage.
-Army held Rutgers to a season-low seven goals and has allowed seven or less goals in the first three games of the season.
-Manown finished with a career-high four points and has four goals in his last two games.
-Three of Manown's six career goals have come against Rutgers.
-DeWitt found the net for the first time in his career and it was the gamewinner.
-Ricca tied a career high with two caused turnovers and has four in his last two games.
-Jon LaMonica finished with a career-high nine ground balls in the win and he was all over the field, playing the wings on the face-offs and filling in for Johnny Surdick on the defensive end.
TURNING POINT
-DeWitt's goal was certainly a turning point in the game to give Army an 8-7 lead, but John Ragno's eighth face-off win after the goal and then LaMonica's ninth ground-ball pickup was a big play in the game. It allowed Army to gain possession and give Austin Colvin the chance for the insurance goal with 6:51 remaining.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Army gained an early advantage thanks to a 5-1 run that lasted until 2:02 left in the first half.
-Rutgers' Christian Trasolini put the visitors up early, but Army came back with five unanswered.
-Manown had two of the first five goals, while David Symmes and Danny DeSanti chipped in with scores.
-Jones scored the first of his two goals on the day with a behind-the-back shot that beat Edelmann.
-Rutgers didn't close up shop, however, and showed why it is one of the top scoring offenses in the nation with four goals in the final 2:02 of the half to even the score at 5-5 going into the break.
-The teams settled down in the third quarter with a goal apiece and headed into the final frame deadlocked at 6-6.
-Connor Glancy tallied his lone goal of the game with 13:18 left in the contest as he came from behind the net to beat Edelmann for the 7-6 lead.
-The Scarlet Knights answered less than a minute later with Christian Mazzone finding the net with an assist to Heningburg.
-DeWitt and Colvin then finished off the game and Army moved to 3-0 on the season.
UP NEXT
-The Black Knights hit the road for a big early-season test in the Carrier Dome as Army gets set for a showdown with No. 7 Syracuse. The Orange are coming off a 15-3 loss to Albany at home on Saturday.
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