Rutgers University has released the schedule for its men’s lacrosse team for the 2026 season. The Scarlet Knights will play a total of 14 regular season games, starting with their earliest opener in program history on January 31 against Jacksonville at a neutral site in Naples, Florida.
This year’s schedule includes matches against several high-ranking teams. Rutgers will compete against four of last season’s top seven teams in the final RPI and face seven teams that finished in the top 20 RPI. Four of their opponents participated in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights have added four new teams to their lineup: Jacksonville, Villanova, Hofstra, and Bellarmine. These teams replace Lehigh, Loyola, St. Joe’s, and UMass from previous schedules. This marks Rutgers’ first game against Jacksonville since 2011, Villanova since 2014, Hofstra since 2024, and their first-ever meeting with Bellarmine.
Home non-conference games will include Army, Villanova, LIU, and Hofstra during February. Road trips are scheduled to Stony Brook, Princeton, and St. John’s as part of non-conference play. With four away games outside conference play this year, it is the most since 2022.
In Big Ten Conference action, Rutgers will host three home games and travel for two road matchups. The team begins conference play by hosting Ohio State and Johns Hopkins at the end of March. In April they visit Michigan and Maryland before returning home to finish the regular season against Penn State.
The Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals are set for the weekend of April 25. The semifinals and championship game will be hosted by Rutgers at SHI Stadium in Piscataway on April 30 and May 2 respectively—marking only the second time these rounds have been held there since 2019.
Preseason activities include two scrimmages: one at UMass on January 17 and another at home versus BU on January 24.
The university notes that all dates and times may change pending future adjustments or television scheduling announcements.
