Rutgers men’s lacrosse is advancing to the final four in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights put together a total team effort with an impressive 11-9 win over No. 3 UPenn.
The win means that Rutgers will advance to their first NCAA Lacrosse Championship semifinal in program history. They will play the winner of No. 7 Cornell and Delaware.
Rutgers was down 8-6 early in the fourth quarter, a lead for the Ivy League side that was fueled by the Scarlet Knights’s struggles on faceoffs. But Rutgers came roaring back, with five unanswered goals to take the lead.
The game was sealed with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter when long stick Bryant Boswell picked up a turnover and carried the ball nearly 70 yards before placing his shot low and just inside the far post for his first goal of the season.
It was the first win for Rutgers in what is now their eighth trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
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Goalkeeper Colin Kirst had 18 saves, several of the spectacular variety, in what is a program-defining win for Rutgers.
Both of Rutgers’ wins in the NCAA Tournament have come against the Ivy League. Last week, the Scarlet Knights beat Harvard 19-9 before 5,212 fans at Yurcak Field.
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UPenn had a tremendous season, winning the Ivy League Tournament. The conference had six teams selected for the NCAA Tournament this year.
Rutgers is one of two Big Ten programs to make the postseason this year. Top-seeded Maryland is the heavy favorite to win the title.
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