Moon Township, Pa. ? Feb. 27, 2009 ? The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team improved their winning streak to three games after topping the Manhattan College Jaspers on Friday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium, 11-8. The Colonials and the Jaspers left the first-half with the score knotted 5-5, but RMU was able to outscore the Jaspers 6-3 in the second half to win the game with a final score 11-8.

For the Colonials, sophomores Trevor Moore (Port Coquitlam, B.C. / Riverside Secondary) and Corbyn Tao-Brambleby(Coquitlam, B.C. / Western Reserve Academy), junior Patrick Smith (Westminster, Md. / Westminster) and senior Dan Kerch (Chesterfield, Mo. / DeSmet) each added a pair of goals in the win. Moore also added two helpers to lead the Colonials with four points.

On the Jaspers side, James Synowiez led the team with a quartet of goals and one assist for five points. Justin Jensen was the only other Jasper to score multiple goals, adding two along with an assist.

The Colonials and the Jaspers played an evenly matched first-half, with each team scoring five goals. Manhattan got the first mark on the scoreboard when Synowiez scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Salvator Spatarella less than two minutes into action.

The two teams traded shots for the next five minutes, but at 7:48 Smith was able to get the ball past Manhattan's goalie John Geagan to tie things up at one apiece.

Two minutes later Manhattan grabbed back the one goal advantage with a score by Joe Variano, but the Colonials were able to find the net three times within the last two minutes of the first quarter to earn the 4-2 lead heading into the second quarter. The final two goals of the quarter were scored by Kerch who was able to weave his way through the Jasper defense to capture the back-to-back unassisted goals.

Heading into the second quarter, sophomore Keith Lee (Hudson, Ohio / Western Reserve Academy) fired a hard shot straight into the net off an assist from Rob Marasti (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) to increase the Colonial lead to 5-2. Unfortunately, Manhattan answered back with three goals, with one being an man-up goal and another being a man-down goal, to end the first-half deadlocked 5-5.

RMU got things started in the third quarter with two back-to-back goals by Smith and Tao-Brambleby that were both assisted by Moore to take the 7-5 lead.

With 8:39 on the clock Synowiez scored his fourth goal of the game, but the Colonials added two more goals to their collection before the end of the third quarter, which gave them the 9-6 advantage entering into the final stanza of the game.

Throughout the fourth quarter the two squads traded scores with two goals apiece, but it was not enough for the Jaspers to take the lead giving the Colonials the 11-8 win.

Junior goalkeeper Sal Barcia (West Islip, N.Y. / West Islip) finished the game with 11 saves, while Manhattan goalie Geagan notched 15. Robert Morris went 13-for-23 on face-offs, while Manhattan was 10-for-23 and both teams went one-for-three on extra-man opportunities.

The Colonials return to Joe Walton Stadium on Sunday, March 1 to take on Detroit Mercy at noon. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.