Men's Lacrosse | 4/2/2015 2:12:00 PM

Robert Morris Colonials (1-8, 0-2 NEC) at Saint Joseph's Hawks (5-5, 1-0 NEC)
Saturday, April 4, 2015 / Sweeney Field – Philadelphia, Pa. / 1:00 p.m.

Scouting Saint Joseph's – The Hawks are one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the NEC, having earned their first league victory in dramatic fashion last weekend at Bryant. Saint Joseph's tied the Bulldogs at 7-7 with six seconds remaining, and scored off the ensuing face-off to win the game. Sophomore Mike Rastivo (21g, 10a) and redshirt senior Ryan McGee (20g, 10a) lead the conference in total points with 31 and 30, respectively. At the X, sophomore midfielder Mike Lanham takes the majority of the draws, winning .536 of them to go along with a team-high 41 groundballs. Defensively, junior John Winchell has caused a team-leading 14 turnovers on the season, while sophomore T.J. Jones has seen most of the time in the cage. Jones owns a 9.51 goals against average and a save percentage of .471.
 
Against the Hawks – Robert Morris is 0-2 against Saint Joseph's in its history. The Colonials fell to the Hawks last season, 11-8, and dropped its first game as a Division I program in 2005, 13-11.


 
On Deck – Robert Morris returns home next Wednesday for a midweek tilt with Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials are 3-4 against the Mountaineers in their history and have won the previous two meetings. Last season's 15-8 victory featured a five-goal effort from James Rahe and four goals from Eric Rankel.
 
Last Time Out – Despite leading for 54:40, the Colonials fell to Hobart in overtime this past weekend, 7-6. James Rahe tallied two goals for RMU, while Chase Rose stopped nine shots in the cage. Alex Love scored four of the Statesmen's seven goals, including the final two to secure the win.
 
Finding Faceoffs – Chris Barney has enjoyed a nice run at the faceoff X in March as he has won 63 of his last 119 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.
 
Double the Trouble – Both Eric and Mitchell Wales scored this past Saturday for Robert Morris, marking the first time a pair of Colonial brothers has scored in the same game since March 2, 2013. In that game against Drexel, Eric Rankel tallied two goals, while older brother Tyler added one. The Rankels also both scored on Feb. 23, 2013 against Detroit.
 
Flag Shortage – Robert Morris has kept itself out of the penalty box so far this season, committing just 17 fouls for a total of 14:30. The Colonials are the only team in the NEC to average less than two penalties per game, and all of their marks rank best in the league.
 
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 tied for 13th in goals with 25 and 22nd in points with 47. His shooting percentage of .287 is tops in the league among players with more than 30 shots. New England Black Wolves forward Kyle Buchanan (2009-12) is tied for 24th in assists with 26.
 
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.

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