Fairfield, Conn. - The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team took to the field for its final game of the 2013 season as the Colonials took on Sacred Heart in Connecticut on Sunday. Despite holding a very early lead, RMU would fall behind by half time and pick up only three second-half goals in a 16-8 loss to the Pioneers.
The Colonials would open the scoring five minutes in to the contest as Jessica Karwacki (Sparks, Md. / Hereford) picked up her 13th goal of the season. Sacred Heart would tie the game less than a minute later before a goal by Emily Jamison (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Hills) would give the lead back to Robert Morris.
Two consecutive goals by the Pioneers would give them their first lead of the game with twenty minutes remaining in the first half but a goal by Kristin Yoviene (Easton, Md. / Saints Peter and Paul) would tie the score, 3-3. Yoviene's goal would be the closest that the Colonials would get to regaining the lead as the next three goals would all be scored by Sacred Heart to break open the game.
Despite being down 6-3 with ten minutes remaining in the first half, the Colonials would respond with two consecutive goals to cut in to their deficit. The first of the two goals came from Talia Waskowicz (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) and her goal was followed up with a goal from Brittany Byerly (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland) four minutes later.
The two goals scored by RMU would be answered with the final two goals of the first half coming from Sacred Heart as the Pioneers regained their three-goal lead heading in to halftime, leading 8-5.
Sacred Heart would add to its lead as the Pioneers picked up two more goals in the first ten minutes of the second half to pull away from Robert Morris with the score 10-5. The Colonials would show life and respond with three goals over a span of five minutes in the middle of the half. Jessica Rutherford (Pylesville, Md. / North Harford) would net the first two goals on the three-goal run before Waskowicz's second goal of the game made the score 10-8 with thirteen minutes remaining.
The three goals would be all that the Colonials would score in the second half as Sacred Heart put up the final six goals in the game as the final horn sounded with Robert Morris on the wrong end of a 16-8 score.
Kaitlin Pentz (Sykesville, Md. / Century) made the start in net for Robert Morris and would make nine saves while suffering her eighth loss of the season before giving way to senior Angelina Gasparo (Philadelphia, Pa. / Nazareth Academy) who would make a save in the final game of her career at Robert Morris. Also playing in their final game for the Colonials was Tara Southworth (Westminster, Md. / Westminster) who would end her career playing every game of the 2013 season as a defensive leader for RMU.
Despite just two points, one goal and one assist, in the contest against Sacred Heart, Byerly would lead the Colonials with 32 goals and 44 points in her first season at Robert Morris. Byerly would also lead the club with 31 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. The only other Colonial to record at least 40 points was Yoviene would lead the team with 12 assists while finishing third with 28 goals.
Just one game after setting the single-season record for draw controls, Karwacki won just a single draw as she finish the season with 152 draw controls. In nine games this season, Karwacki would win at least ten draw controls, including a program-record 25 draw controls on Friday at Quinnipiac. Before this season, no student-athlete in Robert Morris history had won more than ten draw controls in a season.
Losing just two seniors, the Colonials will return underclassmen that represented over 77 percent of the scoring for Robert Morris as well as Pentz who will be between the pipes for her senior season.
