Michigan
Rutgers
U-M to Travel to No. 5 Rutgers for Matchup Against Scarlet Knights
3/2/2021 12:43:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
» Michigan begins a two-game road set by taking on the undefeated No. 5 Scarlet Knights.
» Junior faceoff man Nick Rowlett ranks No. 24 nationally in faceoff win percentage (53 percent)
» Sophomore Josh Zawada and freshman Michael Boehm are tied for the team-lead in goals with four.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, March 6 -- at #5 Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), Noon
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
• Coach Conry Interview (WTKA)
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team (0-2, 0-2 Big Ten) hits the road to start a two-game swing with a date against No. 5-ranked Rutgers (2-0, 2-0 B1G) on Saturday (March 6) at at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.. The matchup will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan boasts a pair of players from the state of New Jersey in senior Hunter Batesko (Mountain Lakes), and Kyle Stephenson (Tewksbury).
• Sophomore Josh Zawada and freshman Michael Boehm are tied for the team lead in goals (four), while Zawada paces the team in assists (three).
• Junior faceoff specialist Nick Rowlett boasts a win percentage of .531 through two games, ranking him No. 24 nationally and third in the Big Ten. He leads the conference and ranks No. 11 nationally in ground balls per game (7.50).
U-M's .518 faceoff win percentage ranks No. 21 nationally and second in the Big Ten.
• Sophomore Matt Kelly leads all non-faceoff men in ground balls with six. After missing all of last year due to injury and the shortened season, he has emerged as one of U-M's top short stick-defensive midfield options.
• Michigan has outshot opponents, 24-13, in the opening quarter of play through two games.
• U-M has utilized a pair of true freshmen on close defense, led by Jack Whitney and Brendan McCabe. Both have started both games this season.
Opponent Preview
Rutgers
U-M trails, 5-1, in the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights
The Scarlet Knights enter Saturday's game ranked No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and are 2-0 on the young season with a pair of marquee wins over No. 6 Penn State (11-9) and at No. 6 Ohio State (22-12).
Offensively, Rutgers is scoring 16.50 goals/game to rank No. 7 in the country, and are No. 4 in the country in clearing percentage (91 percent). It also takes care of the ball, as the Scarlet Knights average 12.50 turnovers per game to rank fifth nationally and own a plus-12 goal margin on the year.
Connor Kirst (seven goals, four assists) and Adam Charalambides (8G, 2A) lead the team on offense, while Jonathan Dugenio is the man at the dot (28-for-57) with nine ground balls. Colin Kirst has seen the majority of time in goal, and is saving 57 percent of shots faced with 19 goals against and 25 saves.
U-M knocked off Rutgers, 10-8, on April 5, 2015, at Michigan Stadium in the Wolverines' lone win in the series history.
Up Next
Sunday, March 14 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 4 p.m.
