MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Gearing up for the tenth season in program history, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team has released its schedule for the 2014 season.  Along with Northeast Conference (NEC) play, the schedule is highlighted by a trip to California for two games, a contest against 2013 NCAA Tournament participant Canisius, and a home game against Oregon.

Robert Morris opens the season on Feb. 22 with the first of three-consecutive home contests.  The three home games to start the 2014 season are the most home contests to start any season in program history.  The 2014 campaign kicks off against Niagara.  This will be the ninth time in the ten years of the program that the Colonials have started the season in February.  The meeting in Moon Township, Pa. will be the fifth contest between the two teams, each time having won two games, including an 18-7 RMU victory last season over the Purple Eagles.

The second game of the three-game homestand comes against Howard on March 1.  RMU will take on the Bison for the fifth time in program history, having won the three previous meetings between the two teams.  The three-game win streak includes a 20-7 win for Robert Morris last season.

The first homestand of the season comes to an end on March 3 when RMU welcomes Oregon to Joe Walton Stadium.  This will be the first meeting between the two programs and it comes on the heels of an 8-9 season for Oregon in 2013.

After playing the first three games of the 2014 season at home, the Colonials will then hit the road for the first of two three-game road trips this season.  The trip begins with a game at Detroit on March 9.  RMU will look for a second victory over the Titans after defeating them by a score of 13-7 last season in the first meeting between the two teams.

After the contest against Detroit, Robert Morris will make its third trip in ten seasons, and first since 2009, to California to take on UC-Davis and St. Mary's.  The game against UC-Davis is first on the docket when the Colonials arrive on the west coast.  The two teams will meet for the fourth time on March 12 as the Colonials look for their second win over the Aggies; the only win coming in March of 2009 by a score of 13-8.

The trip out west concludes on March 14 when RMU goes up against St. Mary's.  The Gaels and Colonials have split the first two meetings between the programs, with Robert Morris winning the most recent contest by a score of 15-9 in the same 2009 trip that saw it defeat UC-Davis.

Robert Morris returns home for a single game on March 22 against Liberty before heading out on the road again.  This will mark the second meeting between RMU and the Flames after the two programs met last season when the Colonials prevailed with a 9-6 victory.

The Colonials will hit the road again on March 24 with a trip to Canisius.  The Golden Griffins are the only non-conference opponent that Robert Morris has played in every season during its first ten years of existence.  RMU will be in search of its first win against the Canisius program that downed the Colonials, 16-5, en route to a spot in the NCAA Tournament last season.

The road trip concludes with a trip to take on cross-town rival Duquesne for the ninth time in program history on March 28.  Last season, the Dukes downed Robert Morris by a score of 16-11, leaving the Colonials still in search of its first win over their rival.

As the Colonials exit the month of March, NEC play awaits the team entering the month of April.  The NEC will look different this season with the departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac, holders of the three most recent NEC championships, shrinking the conference down to eight teams. 

The first conference game this season for Robert Morris comes at home against Sacred Heart on April 4, the first game of a two-game homestand.  RMU's 2013 season came to an end last season at Sacred Heart when the Pioneers downed the Colonials, 16-8.  Robert Morris has won just two of its nine games against Sacred Heart, most recently in 2011.

The two-game homestand concludes on April 6 when LIU Brooklyn makes the trip to Robert Morris.  The Colonials have won six of the previous nine meetings between the two programs, including a 19-11 victory last season.

The season's second three-game road trip, and final trip of the season, starts with a road contest against Bryant.  Robert Morris will take on the Bulldogs on April 11, looking to avenge a 13-7 loss last season, the first loss suffered by the Colonials against the conference foe.

The road trip continues on April 13 when the Colonials will take on Central Connecticut State.  Despite winning five of the nine meetings, RMU fell to the Blue Devils by a score of 14-7 last season.

A trip to visit in-state and conference rival Saint Francis U. on April 18 concludes the three-game road trip.  RMU has won eight of the nine previous meetings against the Red Flash, including a 21-10 victory last season.

The regular season wraps up with a pair of home contests for Robert Morris, starting with a match on April 25 against Wagner.  RMU has downed the Seahawks seven times, losing just twice, and won last season's matchup by a score of 12-7.

The final game of the season will see the Colonials take on their only postseason opponent in program history with a possible berth in the 2014 NEC Tournament at stake.  On April 27, RMU will host Mount St. Mary's on what will be Senior Day for the eight Colonial seniors.  Previously, Robert Morris has won just three of the ten contests against The Mount, including a 14-9 victory last season.

The 2014 NEC Tournament will take place on May 2 and May 4 at the campus of the regular season champion.

Last season, RMU finished with an overall record of 8-8 and a 4-5 record in the NEC, good enough for seventh place in the conference.  The Colonials were led by sophomore Brittany Byerly (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland) who finished her freshman campaign leading Robert Morris in goals (32), assists (12), and points (44).  Byerly was named to the All-NEC First Team while also being named to the All-NEC Rookie Team. 

Fellow sophomore Jessica Karwacki (Sparks, Md. / Hereford) returns after setting a NCAA record with 152 draw controls in her first season at Robert Morris.  Karwacki joined Byerly on the All-NEC Rookie Team while also contributing 13 goals and 10 assists.

Senior goaltender Kaitlin Pentz (Sykesville, Md. / Century) enters her final season with aspirations of returning the Colonials to the NEC Tournament for the second time in her four years between the pipes.  Pentz, a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2013, finished her junior season with an 8-8 record to go along with an 11.18 goals-against average and a .400 save percentage.

Robert Morris kicks off its tenth season at home against Niagara on Feb. 22 at 2:00 p.m.

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