Annapolis, Md. ? The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team suffered its 11th loss of the season Wednesday afternoon as the Navy Midshipmen pinned a 17-14 setback on the Colonials in non-conference action at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Junior Emily Tomlinson (Springfield, Va. / West Springfield) led the Colonials (4-11, 3-4 NEC) with three goals and two assists for five points. Sophomore Alana Beck (Carle Place, N.Y. / Old Dominion) netted a goal and three assists while junior Jenn Collins (Edgewater, Md. / South River) added three tallies.
It was a close game throughout the first half with both teams taking an 8-8 tie into halftime. After falling behind 3-0 to start the game, Robert Morris rebounded with back-to-back goals by juniors Kara Blakeley (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) and Ashley Levering (Glenwood, Md. / Glenelg) to draw within one. Blakeley connected off an assist from teammate Tomlinson at 23:54 while Levering knocked home a score from Beck at 21:43.
Navy countered though, pushing the advantage to two and starting an exchange of goals through the next 4:16. The Colonials tied it up late in the frame with a pair of consecutive markers by Blakeley and Tomlinson just 19 seconds apart at 12:06 and 11:47. Another exchange of scores would take both teams into halftime all tied at 8. Collins netted her first of the game at 7:00 while freshman Ashley Trombetta (Sykesville, Md. / Century) tallied at 4:43.
Coming out of break, the Mids broke the deadlock with two straight goals by Meg Decker, who led all scorers with six goals, in the opening minutes.
Shortly after the Navy score, the Colonials seized their only lead of the game thanks to a four-goal run that used up nearly 11 minutes of the second half. Tomlinson, Collins, Levering and sophomore Ali Gibbons (Candia, N.H. / Manchester) made the score 12-10, before forcing Navy to burn a timeout.
The Midshipmen quickly rallied after break, regaining the lead with five unanswered and making the score 15-12. The lead would hold up as Navy's defense limited the Colonials to just two goals through the final 10 minutes while adding two more of their own, including a score by Brittany Amerau with just :04 showing on the clock. Collins and Gibbons closed out the RMU scoring at the 8:10 and 6:47 marks.
Both team's goalkeepers stopped seven shots apiece in the game. Sophomore Erica Webb (Arnold, Md. / Broadneck) recorded the loss with seven saves in 50:54 while senior Lauren Hartsfield (Cumming, Ga. / South Forsyth) finished out the final 9:06 of the game. Navy outshot Robert Morris, 31-27.
The Colonials wrap up their 2008 campaign this Sunday when they host Saint Francis (Pa.) at Joe Walton Stadium at 1:00 p.m.
