Staten Island, N.Y. - In a physical, sometimes brutal battle at Hameline Field, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team had its four-game winning streak cut short by Wagner, 15-8 on Friday afternoon.

Emily Jamison netted a team-high four goals and Brittany Byerly had three points, but the Colonials (8-3, 1-1 NEC) suffered their first loss in Northeast Conference play. The rival Seahawks scored twice in the opening minute and eventually went ahead 9-1 with three minutes left in the first half before RMU pushed back.

But the game was as much about style as anything else. Wagner did its best to limit the high-scoring Colonials with aggressive tactics that led to countless fouls and frequent whistles. Most notably, the teams combined for 10 yellow cards, easily the most in an RMU game this season. The Colonials themselves were issued six of those.

"That's not our style, so it's an adjustment," said Colonials head coach Katy Phillips. "I don't think we've played a team all season that was this physical. I was most disappointed in the yellow cards. I'm not sure if we were trying to return the physical level, but that's not who we are."

Nevertheless, Phillips said she intends to use the loss as a teaching tool, with five conference games remaining before what the Colonials hope is a second consecutive trip to the NEC tournament.

"I think it's good to see (the physical play) early, because it's going to be a real race for the top four in the conference," Phillips said. "This is going to be great film to go over with our players, to show them how they could have done things a little differently to draw more fouls our way."

Although they trailed for the entirety of the contest, the Colonials constructed a pair of three-goal runs, the latter of which chopped the Wagner lead to 13-8 with 7:33 left on Jamison's fourth of the day. 

"I think we picked up our energy (in the second half) and focused on working together as a team," said junior defender/midfielder Amanda Harrington, who got more involved in the attack as the game progressed. "Everyone was contributing and we started moving the ball faster. (Wagner) is a very feisty team.

"The biggest thing for us was keeping composure and not getting frazzled. We can't worry about the refs, we can't worry about the opponent, we just have to worry about ourselves."

The Colonials, who came into the game averaging a Division I-best 16.5 goals per game, struggled to find their attacking rhythm until the final 20 minutes, when they scored four of their eight tallies.

The second half was a better performance overall, as Wagner (5-7, 2-0 NEC) outscored RMU by a slim 6-5 margin. But the first-half deficit proved too much to overcome on a foggy, damp day in New York City that featured 20 Colonials turnovers.

"We got a little rushed," Phillips said. "We felt the need to put the ball in the net fast, instead of treating each possession as something important. That's something we can address, and more importantly it's something we can improve."

Some players indicated that there was extra excitement to face Wagner, the team that knocked the Colonials out of last year's NEC tournament in the semifinal round.

"We were really hyped up, which is good for us, but at the same time it hurt us a bit," said senior Stefany Gale. "We just need to keep our composure and calm it down. It worked out in the second half."

The junior Jamison was especially effective in front of the net, flashing a quick stick on a couple of occasions to knock home pretty goals. Her four tallies matched a season best, while classmate Byerly scored multiple goals for the ninth time in 11 games. Senior Kristin Yoviene extended her scoring streak to 11 with two assists, the sixth time this year she's had at least that many.

Freshmen Dana Davis and Alexis Rusnak rounded out the scoring with a goal each. Sophomore Megan Wolfgang shined at the defensive end, picking up four ground balls and causing three turnovers, both team highs. Davis had two in each of those categories.

Although RMU was held to fewer than 12 goals for just the second time this season, there were enough late encouraging signs for the afternoon to qualify as productive.

"We talked a lot about what we needed to get out of this game," Phillips said. "We needed to put our product on the field and shake off some of the nerves."

Robert Morris will seek its second conference victory Sunday in Emmitsburg, Md., against Mount St. Mary's.

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