Emmitsburg, Md. –  A strong defensive performance in the second half helped the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team to an 11-9 victory over Northeast Conference foe Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon at Waldron Family Stadium.
 
RMU (4-5, 2-0) has now won its last two consecutive games and boasts an unblemished NEC record, while the Mount (4-3, 0-1) saw a three-game winning streak come to a close with its conference-opening loss to the Colonials.
 
Freshman goaltender Alex Heger made 12 of Robert Morris' 13 saves on the day, including eight in the second half to put the Colonials in position to secure victory. Senior attack Luke Laszkiewicz provided the offensive spark with a career-high-tying seven points on four goals and a season-high three assists. Senior midfield James Rahe chipped in with two goals, while five additional Colonials helped boost the scoring effort. Redshirt senior midfield Chris Barney picked up six ground balls and went 12-24 in the faceoff circle.
 
Robert Morris carried a one-goal lead into the second half, but Mount St. Mary's quickly evened the score, 8-8, with the opening goal of the third quarter.
 
Rahe, freshman attack Eddie Smith and junior midfield Alexander Bohl scored the next three goals of the game for RMU to propel the Colonials to an 11-8 advantage, their largest of the game.
 
The Mount scored the final goal of the game, but was unable to complete the comeback.
 
The squads traded goals throughout the first thirty minutes of action, and the Mount captured a 6-5 lead on a goal from redshirt senior attack and team scoring leader Mark Hojnoski with one second on the clock to end the first frame, but Robert Morris responded with a three-goal run in the second quarter to help regain momentum heading into a defensive battle in the second half.
 
Robert Morris picked up a season-high-tying 38 ground balls and went 2-for-7 on its extra-man opportunities.
 
The Colonials look to continue their NEC success against defending conference champion Bryant on Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m. in Joe Walton Stadium.
 
 
The Last Time
The last time RMU recorded consecutive conference victories was in 2012, when the Colonials put together a perfect 5-0 record in NEC action. That season, head coach Andrew McMinn was named the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year.
 
Back-to-Back
For the first time this season, Robert Morris has won back-to-back games.
 
First Things First
The Colonials improved to 4-0 when leading after the first half.
 
Hot Streaks
Sophomore attack Adrian Torok-Orban and senior midfield James Rahe have posted points in their last eight outings.
 
 
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