PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It was a historic night for the Rutgers' men's lacrosse team, as the Scarlet Knights earned an 8-6 victory over No. 2 Maryland in front of 2,939 fans on an overcast Saturday evening at SHI Stadium. The Scarlet Knights raced out to a 5-1 lead after the opening quarter and held onto the lead for the duration of the game in scoring the upset victory.

With the win, RU claimed its highest ranked win in program history. It was just the second lifetime win over Maryland, and first since 1980, snapping a 19-game winning streak for the Terps. It marked RU's third ranked win of the season and first top-10 win since Feb. 25, 2023 vs. No. 5 Loyola. The Scarlet Knights improved to 6-6 overall and have started Big Ten Conference play with a 2-1 record. It is the program's first 2-1 start to league play since 2022.

"We've been getting better every week this season, and we're a much different and better team now than we were a month ago," head coach Brian Brecht explained. "We've developed so much to be able to capture this opportunity and get such a big win."

Rutgers held Maryland to a season-low six goals. It was the fewest goals allowed by RU in a Big Ten game since a 14-6 win over Ohio State in 2019. It was just the second time Maryland has been held to 6 or fewer goals in a Big Ten regular season game since joining the league in 2015.

"This was such a great win for our team, our program, and our alumni," Brecht said. "Our defense was so strong throughout the game, I've been so happy with how they've been playing. Cardin Stoller has been the backbone of that, he was lights out today, in the cage, out of the cage, the icing goal to clinch the game, what a great effort from him.

Cardin Stoller excelled between the pipes for the Scarlet Knights. Stoller made 14 saves, allowing just six goals, a save percentage of 70%. He also had a caused turnover, four ground balls, and scored his second goal of the season. His full field strike with 3:05 to play put the exclamation point on the victory.

"That was an amazing feeling," Stoller said. "As a Maryland native, to do that against the team that I grew up watching, to score that goal, it was unbelievable. That was such a team win. We gave a full sixty minute effort, from defense to offense. We've shown that we can play with anyone."

Colin Zeller led RU with a career-high three goals. The redshirt freshman notched his second multi-goal game in Big Ten play this season.

"It's a pretty surreal feeling," Zeller explained postgame. "I could not have done it without my teammates. It's amazing, and it is something we can keep building on for the rest of the season too. We have a tight knit group and a lot of trust in each other, and that helps us be successful."

Alongside Zeller's three goals, JJ Aiello, Colin Kelly, Colin Kurdyla, Duke Richman, and Stoller had the goals. Kelly's goal was the 100^th point of his collegiate career. RU was 23-of-26 on clears and forced 13 Maryland turnovers.

Maryland scored first in the game and held a 1-0 lead for a five-minute stretch. However, RU scored five times in the final 6:42 of the opening quarter, with Colin Kurdyla scoring to beat the first quarter buzzer to grab hold of the momentum with a 5-1 lead after the first quarter.

The game tightened up from there. RU encountered a scoring drought, but their defense held Maryland in check to keep hold. Maryland used a 4-1 run over the second and third quarters to cut the RU lead to 6-5.

With 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Zeller completed his hat trick, pushing RU back ahead by two. Then, Stoller had his full-field tally, beating Maryland's 10-man ride to put RU ahead 8-5 and ice the team. The Terps had a late tally, but it wasn't enough, as RU won 8-6.

The Scarlet Knights are back home next weekend. RU hosts No. 13 Michigan on Sunday at noon. The game will be Senior Day and Alumni Appreciation Day, and be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.