PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 20 Rutgers men's lacrosse improved to 2-0 on the season with a resounding victory in the home opener, defeating LIU 17-3 on a cold and windy Tuesday afternoon. Five Scarlet Knights scored multiple goals in the game, with 12 different goal scorers overall in the contest.  It marked the 10^th straight season that RU started the season with a 2-0 record.

RU had a 48-29 advantage in shots, 38-28 in ground balls, 15-8 in faceoffs and were 22-of-23 in clearing. The Scarlet Knights made 10 saves in the game. In the second half, RU's defense held the Sharks to just three shots on goal in the final 30 minutes.

JJ Aiello, Dante Kulas, Kasey Mongillo, Bennett Raphalian and Colin Kurdyla all scored twice in the game. Colin Kelly, Haydn Sommer, Ethan Barnard, Nate Austin-Johnstone, Blake Borges, Colin Zeller and Greyson Vorgang all had one goal apiece. Matthew Paolatto was 11-of-14 on faceoffs, while Ethan Barnard was 4-of-6.

"We're been working to get our guys reps so they can feel comfortable and develop," head coach Brian Brecht said. "We're still learning on the fly, but as it starts to click, it will be a good group to watch. We'll learn from these experiences and get better from it."

The Scarlet Knights scored the game's first two goals and led 3-2 after the first quarter. The Sharks kept the score to a 5-3 advantage for the home team with 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.

The Scarlet Knights then ran off five straight goals to end the second quarter. Overall, Rutgers scored the final 12 goals of the game, holding LIU without a goal over the final 40 minutes of the game.

"Our faceoff unit did a great job with getting us a lot of possessions," Brecht continued. "We were making some good saves in the cage. We need to get a little cleaner and having less turnovers. LIU is well coached, they had a veteran team that came back from winning 10 games last season, so a good early test for us and good to get the win."

Postgame Notes

• Blake Borges made his first collegiate start
• Colin Kelly made his first start of the season
• Freshmen Bennett Raphalian (2), Greyson Vorgang and Nate Austin-Johnstone all scored their first collegiate goal
• Transfers Kasey Mongillo (2), Ethan Barnard and Blake Borges all scored their first goal as a Scarlet Knight.

Up Next

Rutgers remains home this weekend. The Scarlet Knights host Stony Brook Saturday at noon.