PRINCETON, N.J. – Rutgers men's lacrosse traveled to in-state rival and 4
th ranked Princeton on Saturday night. In front of 1,526 fans at the Class of 1952 Stadium, the Tigers won 11-5.
Matthew Paolatto won the first 10 faceoffs of the game and was 13-of-16 on the day with eight ground balls. The 11
th faceoff was won by Princeton, but Paolatto immediately forced a turnover to give RU the ball back before RU could set up its offense. Overall, he won 13 of the first 15 faceoffs through three quarters.
Rutgers had a season-high 53 shots, but Princeton made 24 saves. RU had the advantage in ground balls (33-24) and was 19-of-20 on clears.
Cardin Stoller made 10 saves for RU.
JJ Aiello,
Colin Kelly,
Shane Murphy,
Nate Austin-Johnstone and
Joe Juengerkes scored goals for RU.
JJ Aiello tallied first for RU, but Princeton answered with the next five goals for a 5-1 lead. RU countered back with two quick goals. First, it was a transfer from Princeton scoring against his old school, as
Joe Juengerkes tally. Then it was attackman
Shane Murphy who cut the deficit to 5-3, forcing a Princeton timeout.
At halftime, Princeton led 6-3. RU had the advantage in shots (32-18), Ground Balls (21-12) and Faceoffs (10-1), and are 8-of-8 on clears.
RU's
Colin Kelly ripped in a shot for the first goal of the second stanza. Then in the waning seconds of the third quarter,
Nate Austin-Johnstone scored on the man-down. After three quarters, Princeton led 8-5.
Princeton scored two goals in the opening two minutes of the fourth frame, extending the lead to 10-5. The Tigers put the game away from there.
Up next, RU is home for two games next week. The Scarlet Knights host St. John's Tuesday and UMass on Saturday.
Gallery: (3-8-2025) Men's Lacrosse at Princeton