What a finish for both the men and women on the lacrosse field.
The women had struggled much of the season, heading into the last two games at 3-11, 0-3 in the B1G. No. 15 Ohio State was coming to Piscataway. That's rough.....
Nah, piece o' cake. Hally Barnes scored her sixth goal of the game in OT and the Knights had the upset. It was then on to Senior Day against Michigan. Again, not a problem as RU handled the Wolverines 16-6 as midfielder Kristina Dunphey scored a career-high seven goals, thus beating UM by herself, and clinching the No. 4 seed for the 2016 Big Ten Tournament.
The tournament opens tomorrow afternoon in Evanston with top seeded Maryland and No. 2 PSU getting byes. In the first game of the day, Rutgers (5-11, 2-3 B1G) takes on fifth seed Ohio State st 11:30. That rematch should be motivation for both teams, with the Buckeyes looking fir revenge and the Knights looking to make a statement. That game precedes host Northwestern facing Michigan. The RU-OSU winner takes on the Terps.
Ohio State ended the season on a three game losing streak, one that started in Piscataway. OSU is led by Cian Dabrowski who leads the Big Ten in ppg (4.0) and gpg (2.94). This is the second consecutive year that RU and Ohio State are meeting in the first round of the tournament.
Big Ten Honors
Another congrats to goalie Bianca Dente, named @B1GLacrosse Defensive Player of the Week! https://t.co/ECSg1BA4DV pic.twitter.com/7jdSM7WUJb
— Rutgers Women's Lax (@rulaxbrand) May 3, 2016
That's how you quiet critics and gain respect. Well done, Bianca!
Men's Lacrosse
It was not how they wanted to wrap up the regular season. Going into Saturday's contest in Columbus, Rutgers still had a shot at the top seed in the Big Ten tourney. The day had three contests, each having a possible impact on the standings and seeding. The Knights needed some help from either Michigan or Johns Hopkins, especially Hopkins. But both of those teams lost their games earlier in the day, locking in the seeds. And perhaps that was just as well, since RU could not get the win it needed anyway, losing to Ohio State, 12-10. Rutgers finished the regular season 10-4, 3-2 B1G. They also finished the season in dominant fashion statistically.
W/ @B1GLacrosse regular season done #RUMLax finishes atop multiple #B1GLax stats categories https://t.co/mZk7GPxYCJ pic.twitter.com/QWCcD57LQk
— Rutgers Men's LAX (@RUmlax) May 1, 2016
The cherry on the cake - or ice cream, if you prefer - were the three major recognitions for the squad, covered yesterday in Aaron Breitman's post.
Full Release on a B1G day of @B1GLacrosse Awards for #RUMLax: https://t.co/JLegBNrPFa #B1GLax pic.twitter.com/FYPOH5VgAD
— Rutgers Men's LAX (@RUmlax) May 3, 2016
But Coach Brecht has other things on his mind right now. He has an 8:00 faceoff on Thursday night at Homewood Field in Baltimore against the host Blue Jays. Earlier in the season in Piscataway, RU thumped the birds, 16-9. At the time, JHU was No. 9 in the country and RU was unranked. Despite having an 8-5 record, the Blue Jays are currently ranked No. 9 (Inside Lacrosse) to RU's No. 17. The RPI numbers, though, are not in Rutgers' favor as it sits at No. 21 in a 18-team tournament.
The championship game on Saturday, May 7, will begin at 6 p.m., with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. BTN will air both semifinals, while the championship game will be telecast by ESPN2.
National Honors
Congratulations Scott Bieda! The #RUMLax senior is a semifinalist for the @Tewaaraton Award https://t.co/neG5LLop4B pic.twitter.com/VhgJSdSzl6
— Rutgers Men's LAX (@RUmlax) April 29, 2016
The Tewaaraton Award is the "Heisman" of lacrosse. It is a significant recognition to even get this far in the process. Bieda is one of 25 players still in consideration for the nation's top award. Five men's and five women's finalists will be announced on May 12 and invited to the awards ceremony. The 16th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., on June 2.