Moon Township, Pa. - Junior midfielder Corey Karwacki matched a career high with seven points, helping the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team acquit themselves well in a 17-13 loss to defending Northeast Conference champion Bryant on Friday afternoon.

Although the Colonials (8-5) dropped their third consecutive game to fall to 1-3 in NEC play, they battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 7-3 to tie first-place Bryant (10-3, 4-0 NEC) 9-9 at halftime. The visiting Bulldogs pulled away from there, but RMU went on a 3-1 run to draw within three goals with 7:26 to play.

In short, it wasn't a victory, but it was a step in the right direction after a frustrating defeat at Mount St. Mary's last Sunday.

"We got back to being the team we were at the beginning of the season," said RMU head coach Katy Phillips after her team's first loss in five games at Joe Walton Stadium. "We played with such energy and confidence. This game was about us getting back to what we do. We had nothing to lose with the defending champions in here and we played like it."

In particular, Robert Morris' attack was much more fluid and efficient than it was during last weekend's road trip.

Even though Bryant won the draw control battle 20-12 - a rare loss in that category for the Colonials - RMU nevertheless took advantage of its possessions, scoring on 13 of 21 shots. That represented a huge improvement from their 10-for-29 performance at the Mount.

"We are a better team when we are setting each other up," said Phillips of her Colonials, who recorded assists on seven of their 13 goals Friday. "We decided we were going to follow the game plan, which always helps. We took better care of the ball and our shooting selection was better."

Senior midfielder Kristin Yoviene maintained her position atop the RMU scoring list with four more points (3g, 1a), drawing her within six of Jenn Collins for the second-most career points recorded by a Colonial. Junior Brittany Byerly added an assist and two more goals to her season total; her 31 goals on the season put her one behind Karwacki and two back of Yoviene.

Despite another strong offensive day, the Colonials find themselves in a precarious position heading into their final three games of the season.

In order to qualify for its third NEC tournament in five years, RMU almost certainly can't afford to lose again. The stretch run begins with Sunday's home matchup against Central Connecticut and finishes with a pair on the road next weekend at Sacred Heart and LIU Brooklyn. A sweep of those three games would likely clinch the fourth and final spot in the league's postseason party.

"We're on a little bit of a hot seat now," Phillips said. "We've got to turn it on. Today, it didn't result in a win, but we made in-game adjustments and they resulted in the things we wanted to see. We have to prepare for Sunday and get back in the win column.

"I think this team deserves to go to the postseason."

At least part of Phillips' optimism was inspired by how her Colonials responded to falling behind early. Bryant used an aggressive 12-man ride to bottle up RMU, forcing the home team into a season-high 25 turnovers, although just nine of them were directly caused by Bulldog checking.

Bryant led by four with 12 minutes remaining in the first half, but RMU pushed back with a 6-2 surge that sent the game into intermission all square. Freshman middie Dana Davis capped the rally with a flourish, tucking the equalizer just inside the left post with 26 seconds on the clock.

"The first half was definitely Robert Morris lacrosse," said junior defender Micah Brown. "We had intensity and we were working as a unit. We know we're capable of winning, so I feel like we're going to take that positivity and go forward into the next three games."

Bryant came out of halftime in fine form, scoring five of the next six goals to take command. The junior attack duo of Morgan LaBarbera (5g, 1a) and Lauren Descalzo (4g, 2a) proved especially lethal, as each contributed six points to the Bulldogs' cause.

"We were prepared for what they were giving us, but we just had to be a little quicker in our decision-making," Brown said.

Both teams showed off their finishing skill, as 30 of the 40 combined shots on goal went in. RMU sophomore Hallie Yancey made a game-high six saves in nearly 38 minutes of action; for the 10th time in 13 contests, the Colonials split crease duties between Yancey and freshman Mackenzie Duffy, who got the start.

On defense, RMU caused 13 of Bryant's 26 turnovers, the second-most by a Colonials' opponent this season. Senior defender Haley Schemm forced three Bryant miscues, with Kristi Marks and Karwacki causing two each. Marks added four ground balls, while sophomore Megan Wolfgang picked up three to go with her first career point, an assist on Karwacki's fourth goal of five on the afternoon.

RMU concludes its home schedule at 1 p.m. Sunday against Central Connecticut. Pregame festivities will include Senior Day presentations for the Colonials' seven departing players and an appearance by Pittsburgh native Chris Jamison; the recent finalist on NBC's "The Voice" will sing the national anthem. 

There will also be a postgame autograph session and mini-clinic for any young lacrosse players who wish to participate. For more information, click here.

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