Moon Township, Pa. - Junior Kyle Buchanan (Nepean, Ontario / John McCrae) of the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team claimed the Colonials' eighth league award of 2011 as he was named NEC Player of the Week in the conference's weekly release Monday following a great offensive performance last Saturday.
RMU has now received more honors in the NEC's player of the week category in 2011 than the rest of the league combined, including seeing four distinct players take home hardware, a total that also tops the combined sum of all other NEC schools. The Colonials have also won two awards in the defensive player of the week group, giving them a league-best six student-athletes that have received a weekly award from the NEC this season, as RMU has claimed eight honors in the nine weeks the conference has handed out awards.
With this distinction, Buchanan collects his second honor of the season from the NEC and the third of his career from any league.
Buchanan tallied a career-high and game-high six points, including the game-winning goal, as he helped Robert Morris claim a thrilling 16-15 victory over Bryant Saturday to earn the first NEC road win in program history. Buchanan notched his third-career hat trick and added his fifth-career three-assist game and came through at the most important moments as he factored into four of RMU's final five goals, each occurring during the final nine minutes of play.
With his huge day, the junior moved into sole possession of second place all-time at RMU in career assists (49) and also became just the seventh player in program history to surpass the 80 career-point plateau. Buchanan has eight multi-point games this season and has collected at least one point in 41 of the 43 games in which he has competed for the Colonials.
Buchanan's efforts also helped Robert Morris tally at least 14 goals for a fourth consecutive game, setting a new school record. RMU, the 2010 national leader in goals per game, also moved up into a tie for second nationally in goals per game, trailing the leader by .33 goals per game.
Buchanan was named NEC Co-Player of the Week March 14 after tallying nine points in a pair of Colonial victories, including recording a then career-high five points against Jacksonville. The junior also registered 10 ground balls and two caused turnovers during that week.
Robert Morris, which has guaranteed its third-consecutive winning season, can clinch a spot in the NEC Tournament with a victory in its regular-season finale this Saturday, April 30, as it hosts Sacred Heart. The first faceoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium. The Colonials could still qualify with a defeat if Bryant loses at Mount St. Mary's as the three-team tiebreaker would then be determined by goals allowed among tied teams.
