Women's Lacrosse 2/27/2015 7:18:00 AM

Colonials Hit Road for Two-Game Mid-Atlantic Trip

ROBERT MORRIS (1-1)
at HOWARD (0-1)
Saturday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. | Greene Stadium, Washington, D.C.
at DELAWARE STATE (0-3)
Monday, March 2 at 1 p.m. | Alumni Stadium, Dover, Del.

THE LEAD

The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team takes its first true road trip of 2015 when it faces Howard and Delaware State in a mid-Atlantic swing. The Colonials, who are coming off a 20-goal outburst in a home rout of Cincinnati last Sunday, are 4-1 all-time against Howard - including early-season victories in each of the past three years. Monday will mark the first ever game against Delaware State for RMU, which went 4-4 overall (3-2 in non-conference) on the road last season.

MUSKET SHOTS
- Senior midfielder Kristin Yoviene was one of two Colonials to earn weekly honors from the Northeast Conference, as she earned her third career Offensive Player of the Week award Monday after scoring an incredible 16 points (7g, 9a) in two games. The Maryland native is tops among active Colonials with 119 career points; her 83 goals have her two behind Ashley Levering for third in program history.
- Freshman middie Dana Davis also collected a prize, earning NEC Rookie of the Week for a strong all-around performance in her first two NCAA games. The product of Garnet Valley, Pa., compiled three goals, two assists, four ground balls and one caused turnover as the Colonials went 1-1 in their opening week.
- Behind Yoviene's seven goals, juniors Brittany Byerly and Emily Jamison are tied for second on the team with six goals each. Fellow classmate Corey Karwacki (five goals) and senior attacker Emma Baukhages (four) have also shown a finishing touch early, while Jessica Karwacki and Byerly have forced four turnovers apiece.
- Sunday's comfortable final margin allowed head coach Katy Phillips to empty her bench. Freshman Alexis Rusnak scored RMU's final tally in her first collegiate action, while classmates Dominique Zigo, Taylor Lewand, Bridgette Champane and Niki Grillon also saw the field for the first time in a Colonial uniform.
- Junior midfielder Jessica Karwacki has picked up where she left off last season, when she set a Division I record with 216 draw controls. The 2014 All-NEC First-Team performer had 18 in the win over Cincinnati and has controlled 32 total draws through two games.
- On defense, senior co-captains Haley Schemm (six ground balls) and Kristi Marks (three caused turnovers) have made an impact, as has freshman goalie Mackenzie Duffy, with 20 saves on 44 shots.
- Matchups with Howard conjure long-lasting memories, as the Colonials' first-ever regular-season game was at Howard's Greene Stadium on March 13, 2005, a 17-5 loss to the Bison. Even better, RMU's inaugural win came in Moon Township against Howard on Feb. 25, 2006, an 18-14 decision.

VIDEO FEATURE
Senior co-captain Yoviene joined Matt Gajtka to talk about her scintillating start to the season, the team's early offensive success and why she thinks this year's team can take the next step:

UP NEXT
The Colonials return home on Monday, March 9 for a 2 p.m. non-conference matchup against Detroit.

Follow the RMU women's lacrosse team on Twitter and Instagram.

Print Friendly Version