Rutgers men’s lacrosse beats Ohio State, advances to Big Ten Championship Game

Rutgers men’s lacrosse beats Ohio State, advances in the Big Ten Tournament.

Rutgers men’s lacrosse won in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night, setting up a Saturday championship game against Maryland.

Rutgers, a second-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, beat Ohio State 12-10 on Thursday night. Down 7-4 after two quarters, Rutgers stormed back in the second half, powered by four goals in each of the third quarter and fourth.

The Scarlet Knights held a decided edge in shots (45:37), shots on goal (33:22). Senior attacker Mitch Bartolo, a transfer from UPenn, led the way with four goals for Rutgers.

The Big Ten Tournament this season is being hosted by Maryland, the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the top-ranked team in the nation.

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On Thursday night, Maryland beat Johns Hopkins 16-11.

The Scarlet Knights are now 13-2 this season (4-1 Big Ten). Their lone loss in Big Ten play came at Maryland earlier this season.

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The win all but ensures that Rutgers lacrosse will return to the NCAA Tournament. There wasn’t much doubt about this, but beating Ohio State and advancing to the Big Ten title game is the final note in a strong resume for Rutgers this season.

Rutgers came into the Big Ten Tournament ranked No. 4 in the nation in the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings. They are sixth in RPI.