Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team was handed its first defeat of the season on Wednesday afternoon as the Colonials fell by a score of 16-5 to the visiting Canisius Golden Griffins.

Canisius would open the contest with the game's first three goals before Robert Morris would get on the board six minutes in to the first half.  Junior Lauren Roberts (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) would find the back of the net for RMU with her third goal of the season to make the score 3-1.  Robert Morris would then go on a sixteen-minute scoring drought while the Golden Griffins would tally seven consecutive goals to hold a nine-goal advantage with ten minutes remaining in the first half.  The second goal for the Colonials would come from the stick of freshman Jessica Karwacki (Sparks, Md. / Hereford).  She would pick up her first collegiate goal with 8:30 remaining in the half.  RMU would head to the locker room still down nine goals as the Golden Griffins would add one final goal in the half to make the score 11-2 after just 30 minutes of play.

Play would slow down in the second half as the two teams would combine for just eight goals.  Carrying the momentum from the final goal of the first half, Canisius would net the first three goals of the second half to make the score 14-2 before freshman Brittany Byerly (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland) recorded the first of her two goals in the contest.  The Golden Griffins would score twice more before Byerly found the back of the next again; this time she capitalized on a free-position shot with 2:51 remaining in the game to make the score 16-4.  The Colonials would add one final goal with 61 seconds remaining as Byerly set up fellow freshman Corey Karwacki (Sparks, Md. / Hereford) for the game's final goal as the contest ended with a score of 16-5.

Despite suffering her first loss of the season, goaltender Kaitlin Pentz (Sykesville, Md. / Century) would make seven saves as Canisius would not score on any of its free-position attempts.

The Colonials return to action as they host city rival Duquesne on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for the first home night game in program history.