Men's Lacrosse | 3/23/2015 5:22:00 PM

Robert Morris Colonials (1-6, 0-1 NEC) vs. No. 3 Maryland Terrapins (6-1, 0-0 B1G)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 / Joe Walton Stadium – Moon Township, Pa. / 4:00 p.m.

Scouting Maryland – The third-ranked Terrapins enter this matchup with an overall record of 6-1. Last weekend, they defeated former conference foe North Carolina, 10-8, in the Pacific Coast Shootout to collect their fifth consecutive victory. Maryland also holds wins over No. 11/16 Penn, No. 10/11 Princeton, and No. 15/16 Villanova.
 
Sophomore midfielder Matt Rambo leads the Terrapins with 14 goals and 20 points, while seniors Joe LoCascio and Jay Carlson have also scored double-digit goals with 13 and 11, respectively.
 
Freshman long stick midfielder Matt Neufeldt has 10 of the team's 42 caused turnovers, and has scooped up 24 groundballs thus far in his rookie campaign, which ties a team-high.
 
Senior Charlie Raffa has won 55 of 90 draws for a .611 percentage, while junior Jon Garino has been victorious on 16 of the 33 faceoffs he has taken.
 
Junior goaltender Kyle Bernlohr leads the nation in goals against average (4.98) and save percentage (.685), as the stingy Maryland defense has held its opponent to under five goals four different times this season.
 
Against the Terrapins – Last season, Robert Morris dropped a 19-6 decision to No. 4 Maryland in the teams' only previous meeting. Taylor Graves scored twice for the Colonials, while Eric Rankel and Jacob Ruest also put together multi-point efforts in the defeat.


 
On Deck – Robert Morris concludes a two-game homestand on Saturday as Hobart comes to Joe Walton Stadium for a crucial Northeast Conference (NEC) matchup. The Colonials are 2-3 against the Statesmen in program history and fell to them last season in Geneva, 8-6.
 
Last Time Out – The Colonials dropped their NEC opener at Sacred Heart this past Saturday, 12-10. Down 12-5, RMU stormed back with five consecutive goals in the fourth quarter but was unable to complete the comeback. Luke Laszkiewicz scored twice in the loss, while Mitchell Wales tallied his first career goal with five minutes remaining.
 
It's Been a While – Robert Morris' game against No. 3 Maryland will mark the first time that the Colonials have hosted a Top 10 team since April 17, 2010 when No. 3 North Carolina escaped with a 17-14 victory. RMU is 3-18 against nationally-ranked teams in its history, but have won two of its last four ranked meetings at home.
 
Finding Faceoffs – Chris Barney has enjoyed a nice run at the faceoff X in March as he has won 45 of his last 85 draws, good enough for a .529 percentage. That mark is .093 higher than his career faceoff percentage of .436, and over a course of a season would be the highest for a Colonial specialist since Mike Grosz's .535 mark in 2012.
 
Hey Mr. Carter – Carter Yepsen is one of five Colonials with double-digit points this season as he has registered 16 in his first seven games. Yepsen has scored 10 goals and dished out six assists in his rookie campaign, and is currently on a multi-point streak of five contests.
 
Alumni Update – Two former Colonials have excelled in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) this season as they both rank in the top 25 in major offensive categories. Vancouver Stealth forward Tyler Digby (2010-13) is 14th in goals with 22 and 21st in points with 44. His shooting percentage of .289 is tops in the league among players with more than 30 shots. New England Black Wolves forward Kyle Buchanan is tied for 19th in assists with 25 and tied for 25th in points with 41.
 
Brotherly Love – The Colonials have had a history of brothers playing together and this season is no different with three sets on the roster. The Gibsons (Leighton and Marshall), Wales (Eric and Mitchell), and Yepsens (Carter and Conner) make up the RMU family who are actually family. The last time the Colonials have not had a set of brothers on their roster was in the 2010 season.
 
Travelin' Men – Robert Morris is scheduled to play in eight different states this season, tying a school record set in its inaugural season of 2005 and in 2011. The Colonials will stay in the Keystone State for seven games with home contests and a trip to Philadelphia. RMU will also visit Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island during the 2015 campaign.
 
New Faces – The Colonials welcome 16 freshmen and a junior college transfer to the program in 2015. In addition, RMU also will be guided by two new assistant coaches in Travis Harrington and Robert Marasti. Harrington is a 2012 graduate of Bryant and previously coached at Seton Hill. Marasti is an alumnus of the program, having played for the Colonials from 2008 to 2011.

Tweet #ColonialPride