State College, Pa. ? The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team was dealt its first loss of the 2008 season with an 18-2 setback against Penn State this afternoon at Holuba Hall in State College, Pa. The Colonials even their record at 1-1, while Penn State starts the campaign off at 1-0.

Freshman Rob Marasti (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) and senior Michael Fleming (Sarnia, Ontario / St. Christopher) led the offense with a goal apiece.

The Nittany Lions kicked off their season opener in high tempo, scoring early and often with a 5-0 run through the first 12 minutes of the game.

RMU stifled the offense momentarily when Marasti connected on a cross-crease pass from senior Andrew Watt (Kitchener, Ontario / Grand River Collegiate) with 3:15 left to play in the first quarter.

Despite the late score, Penn State didn't miss a beat in the second frame, tacking on five more scores to take a 10-1 advantage into halftime.

The Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off in the first half with back-to-back goals midway through the third quarter.

Robert Morris found an offensive spark right after Penn State's seventh consecutive score. Fleming brought the Colonials within ten at 12-2, scoring in the midst of scrum at the 4:47 mark. Freshman Taylor Caparosa (Annapolis, Md. / Annapolis) picked up an assist on the play.

PSU wiped the goal away with one of its own to take a 13-2 lead into the final frame.

Unfortunately, the Colonials, the offense ran dry in the fourth quarter as Penn State played ball possession while adding another five goals to close out the game.  

Sophomore Sal Barcia (West Islip, N.Y. / West Islip) weathered the storm in net with a 13-save performance in 49:26 of action. Senior John Kennedy (Rockville Centre, N.Y. / South Side) wrapped the game up, playing 10:34.

Penn State outshot the Colonials, 48-18, while holding the advantage in ground balls, 56-29.

The Colonials return to action on Friday, Feb. 22, with a contest against Manhattan in Riverdale, N.Y. Face-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.