Smithfield, R.I. – Friday afternoon's Northeast Conference semifinal looked a little too familiar for the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team, as the Colonials' season ended with an 18-10 loss to top-seeded Bryant.

For the second straight year, RMU played its final game at the Bryant Turf Complex; the 2014 campaign came to an end with a 17-7 loss to Wagner in the NEC semis. Much like that result last May, the Colonials (10-7) fell too far behind in the first half to catch up.

"Bryant is a very good team, and once they got a couple goals up on us it was tough to turn it around," said senior midfielder Kristin Yoviene, who finished her career with a four-goal, five-point performance.

No. 4 seed Robert Morris was down just 3-2 seven minutes into the game, but defending NEC champion Bryant (13-4) scored five goals in a row on its way to a 10-4 halftime advantage. The Colonials outscored the Bulldogs 5-3 in the final 15 minutes, salvaging some pride from their third postseason trip in five years.

"Once we got the flow, it seemed like we were finding the back of the net," RMU head coach Katy Phillips said. "We just couldn't sustain it. I think we played more from a position of pressure, rather than confidence."

The Colonials entered the game as the top draw-control team in the country, but Bryant won 19 of 30 on the day. That edge in possession fueled the Bulldogs' potent attack, led by Lauren Descalzo (six goals), Emily Columbus (five) and Nicole Britton (six assists).

"We've been very reliant on our draw this season," Yoviene said. "When you continue to lose the draw, it takes a toll and you have to figure out some way to get the ball back. We just couldn't get possession."

Turnovers were also a concern, as seven of RMU's 11 were unforced, and a handful led directly to Bryant goals.

Despite the team struggles, several Colonials stood out individually. Yoviene's five points gave her 71 for the season on 43 goals and 28 assists, the most prolific single-season scoring performance in program history. Senior attack Emma Baukhages and junior midfielder Brittany Byerly added two goals and an assist each.

"I don't think we ever put our heads down, but we just couldn't keep up," said senior Stefany Gale after serving up a pretty assist to Yoviene for the game's last goal. "It got away from us a little bit in the second half."

On the defensive side, freshman midfielder Dana Davis led the team with three ground balls, further validating her NEC all-rookie selection from Thursday night. Sophomore defender Megan Wolfgang picked up a pair of ground balls and added a caused turnover.

"The foundation of our program – our seven seniors – got us back to the tournament, and now it's up to our underclassmen to not have this feeling again and get us to the championship game," Phillips said. "They know what to expect, and now we press on for that ring next year."



Coming off an impressive 12-4 win at LIU Brooklyn last Sunday that clinched a postseason berth, the Colonials hung with Bryant in Friday's opening minutes.

Emily Jamison's roll to the goal off a pass from Corey Karwacki gave the Colonials an early emotional lift, then Yoviene converted a free-position shot seven minutes into the game. However, Bryant had success on its drives in the opening 10 minutes, charging to a 4-2 lead at that point.

The Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 6-2 with 16:37 left in the half, forcing RMU to call timeout. Bryant's Skylar Zlotnik netted her second goal from the 8-meter line soon after, followed by Baukhages' opportunity in close that Bulldogs goalie Sam Santeramo denied, one of her five saves.

"We struggled in some defensive and offensive sets, and we had a lot of scoring opportunities that we couldn't take advantage of," Yoviene said. "We weren't on the same page 100 percent of the time."

Davis had a prime chance denied by Santeramo after a lengthy offensive possession, extending RMU's drought to 15 minutes. Byerly ended that with a forceful rush to the goal, thanks to a slick handoff from Yoviene. Yoviene polished off an assist from Davis for her second goal of the afternoon in the final minute of the half, setting up a 10-4 score at the break.

Yoviene broke in for her hat trick goal 19 seconds into the second half, but Columbus struck back for Bryant just 10 ticks later, taking advantage of a fortunate bounce off the draw. The Bulldogs added two more tallies in the next two minutes, making it 13-5.

Bryant ended up scoring five straight goals before Baukhages cashed in with a driving shot midway through the half. The senior attack buried another off an assist from Byerly, finishing her career with her fifth multi-goal performance of her senior season.

"It was awesome," Yoviene said of RMU's late run. "When you get down a couple goals, you get in your own head a little bit, but when you get a couple goals, you're on fire.

"It was exciting to score one after the other, but turnovers put us right back in the divot and it was hard to get out of."

Senior attacks Rhyan Bofinger and Jessica Rutherford saw action in the second half, with Bofinger netting a late goal on a free-position attempt. Fourth-year defender Kristi Marks did her level best to cover for the absence of classmate Haley Schemm (knee injury), who supported her team on crutches from the sideline.

In Schemm's place, the Colonials leaned more heavily on Marks, Wolfgang, Amanda Harrington, Megan Gold and Micah Brown on the defensive end.

"We've been a bit plagued by injury and that's tough," Phillips said. "At this point, it's finding what works for your unit and making sure you bring that to the field every single time. When you make changes this late in the season, you're just starting to get adapted to a new game plan. That can be tough to do."

Although the ending was sour, Yoviene reflected on the sweetness of another postseason berth – and taking part in 36 wins over the past four years.

"I am honored to have been a part of the team," said Yoviene, the program's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 174 points. "We've been through the highs and lows and everything in between. I would not want to go through it with any other group of girls. We started at the bottom and worked our way up.

"This program will get a championship. It will."

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