Almost exactly one year from Sunday, one of the best games in Big Ten lacrosse history — and the 2018 NCAA season — went down in Piscataway, N.J. The host Rutgers Scarlet Knights rallied from down three goals to force overtime against the top team in the conference, Maryland.

The teams went back-and-forth through two overtime periods before Connor Kelly fired home the game-winner to give the Terps a 13-12 road win.

It was a big win for Maryland, which later made its historic run to the NCAA title. But for Rutgers, it was a loss that eventually caused it to miss out on the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. After starting the season 8-0 and rising up the rankings, Rutgers had high hopes of making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004, but it didn’t happen.

Another year gone, and the Scarlet Knights are back in contention for a Big Ten title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. At 1-1 in conference, they will head to College Park to face No. 2 Maryland on Sunday night. Taking down the defending national champions is definitely one of the goals this program set before 2018.

“If we execute, Big Ten championship, beating Maryland and a national championship are all things we can accomplish,” senior Jules Heningburg said of his team’s goals.

 

NO. 7 RUTGERS AT NO. 2 MARYLAND
WHEN: Sunday, April 15, 7 p.m.
WATCH: Big Ten Network

 

Heningburg is a major part of the heart and soul of this team. He leads the offense (ranked 14th in scoring) with 57 points on 30 goals and 27 assists. 

And he’s had to step up this season with the loss of star attackman Adam Charalambides for a second straight season. Heningburg and Kieran Mullins have helped keep the Scarlet Knights afloat in big games, like Mullins’ five points in a win over Lehigh and eight goals against Michigan, or Heningburg’s six goals and two assists in the win over Syracuse.

Heningburg has also helped elevate fellow offensive teammates like Tommy Coyne and Ryan Gallagher.

The Rutgers offense will have to be strong against a Maryland defense that sits 14th in Division I, allowing 8.70 goals per game. In the four-game win streak since falling to Albany, the Terps have allowed 35 goals.

This Maryland team has been well-balanced all season, boasting an offense that sits 10th in the country, scoring 12.40 goals per game. Heningburg will step on the field with perhaps the leading candidate for the Tewaaraton Award in Connor Kelly, who has 28 goals and 24 assists this season.

Kelly, like Heningburg, has helped raise the level of his teammates. Freshmen Bubba Fairman and Logan Wisnauskas have both benefited from his slick passing this season.

Maryland is the best team in the country in avoiding turnovers, with only 9.50 per game. Rutgers doesn’t fall far behind, turning it over only 11.70 times per game.

Two balanced teams will meet in primetime — one looking for revenge and another hoping to keep pace atop the Big Ten. With the highlights these teams have produced, the matchup shouldn’t disappoint.

Other games highlighting the weekend include:

• No. 3 Duke at No. 10 Virginia

Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN3

A week after picking up its first ACC win since 2014, Virginia has another challenge ahead of it. In comes third-ranked Duke, fresh off a dominant 8-2 win at Notre Dame last weekend. The Blue Devils held the Irish to two goals on 25 shots, and will get a Virginia team that sits 20th in the nation with a 32.6 shot percentage. Both teams can score, each ranking in the top 10 nationally with over 13 goals per game. However, Duke’s defense, led by Cade Van Raaphorst and JT Giles-Harris, is allowing over three fewer goals per game than the Cavaliers. 

• No. 12 Cornell at No. 17 Lehigh

Saturday, 3 p.m., CBS Sports Network

Can Cornell continue the momentum it has built during the five-game win streak? The matchup with Lehigh is another chance to pick up a nonconference victory before it finishes off the season in Ivy League play. However, the Mountain Hawks will provide a tough test for a squad still getting attention for its win over Syracuse earlier this week. This matchup will feature two of the more dynamic players in Division I lacrosse this season, with Cornell’s Jeff Teat (first in the nation with 6.45 points per game) and Lehigh’s Andrew Pettit (21st with 4.17). Lehigh’s strong defense, allowing under nine goals per game, will have to step up to hold off the top-ranked offense in the country.

• North Carolina at No. 6 Syracuse

Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPNU

Syracuse will look to rebound from the mid-week loss to Cornell and maintain its undefeated record in the ACC. As for North Carolina, it’s clinging to its chances to make the conference tournament, and ultimately, the NCAA tournament. The Orange defense had stepped up recently despite a 13-goal effort from the Cornell offense. In the past three games, Syracuse is allowing fewer than eight goals per game. It will be up against a North Carolina team that has scored more than 10 goals just once during its six-game losing streak. The Tar Heels need to win at Syracuse and at home against Notre Dame next weekend.

MORE GAMES ON OUR RADAR

All times are listed in ET. For a full list of broadcast games, please visit our US Lacrosse TV listing page, presented by Nationwide.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

7 p.m.

Michigan at Ohio State (Big Ten Network)

7:30 p.m.

Lafayette at No. 11 Bucknell  (Patriot League Network)

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

12 p.m.

Boston U at No. 8 Loyola (Patriot League Network)

No. 16 Navy at Army (CBS Sports Network)

1 p.m.

No. 9 Yale at Brown (Ivy League Network)

Holy Cross at Colgate (Patriot League Network)

St. John’s at No. 4 Denver (DenverPioneers.com)

Delaware at Hofstra (Lax Sports Network)

Towson at No. 20 UMass (UMass Sports Network)

No. 18 Georgetown at No. 13 Villanova (Fox College Sports Atlantic)

2 p.m.

No. 19 Vermont at Stony Brook (America East TV)

No. 5 Johns Hopkins at No. 15 Penn State (ESPNU)

3 p.m. 

Harvard at Penn (ESPN3)

Providence at Marquette (Big East Digital)

7 p.m.

UMBC at Binghamton (ESPN+)

Cleveland State at Robert Morris (NEC Front Row)