Moon Township, Pa. – For the
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team, the journey to its first-ever Northeast Conference Tournament title begins on Thursday, May 5 with a semifinal match-up against top seed and host Saint Joseph's at 4:30 p.m. at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, May 7 at 1 p.m.
The Colonials (7-7, 4-2 NEC) enter the postseason tournament as the fourth seed after they secured a berth to their fourth overall NEC Tournament appearance with a 13-8 victory over the Saint Joseph's Hawks (11-3, 5-1 NEC) on April 23. RMU's upset over a league-leading SJU team receiving votes in multiple national polls marked the first time the Hawks ever suffered a regular-season NEC loss since joining the conference in 2014.
| ROBERT MORRIS AT THE 2016 NEC TOURNAMENT |
| THURSDAY, MAY 5 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
| ROBERT MORRIS | SAINT JOSEPH'S |
|
4:30 p.m. |
NEC Front Row |
SJU Hawks |
| SATURDAY, MAY 7 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
| NEC CHAMPIONSHIP |
|
1:00 p.m. |
NEC Front Row |
SJU Hawks |
Robert Morris versus The Field
The Colonials are 2-6 all-time versus Bryant, 2-5 against Hobart and 1-3 against Saint Joseph's. RMU fell to Bryant and Hobart this regular season, but dealt Saint Joseph's its only NEC loss of the year and snapped the Hawks' six-game winning streak on Senior Day at Joe Walton Stadium.
Scouting the Field
All four teams participating in the 2016 Northeast Conference Tournament enter the postseason riding a current winning streak. Bryant and RMU both have won their last three, while Saint Joseph's has won its last two and Hobart is coming off a win versus Sacred Heart. The Hawks are set to host the tournament for the third consecutive year, as their 10-9 overtime win over the Bulldogs clinched their right to host as well as the regular-season title. SJU ranks second in the nation in shot percentage (.372), fourth in scoring margin (4.86), and leads the league in goals per game (12.92), assists per game (7.42), points per game (20.33), goals against average (7.89), save percentage (.570) and faceoff percentage (.599). Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones ranks third in the nation in save percentage (.589) and fourth in goals against average (7.24).
No. 2 seed Bryant narrowly edged RMU, 13-12, in the regular-season meeting between the two programs. The Bulldogs pace the NEC in ground balls per game (31.62), shots per game (41.31), caused turnovers per game (7.69) saves per game (11.08), and shots on goal per game (24.62).
Hobart, the third seeded team, boasts a 4-2 record in NEC action this season. The Statesmen lead the nation in man-down defense (.805) and clearing percentage (.893).
How It Happened
Robert Morris clinched a berth to the 2016 NEC Tournament with its 13-8 victory over Saint Joseph's on Senior Day. It is the fourth overall appearance in the conference tournament for the Colonials and first since 2013. RMU is 1-3 all-time in NEC Tournament games.
Coming In Hot
The Colonials enter the postseason riding a season-long three-game winning streak.
NEC Success
Robert Morris secured a winning NEC record for the first time since 2013 with its victory over Wagner last Saturday in its regular-season finale.
View From The Top
RMU ranks within the top 20 in the nation in scoring offense (15th), points per game (17th), man-up offense (18th), and assists per game (18th).
Hot Streaks
Sophomore attack Adrian Torok-Orban and senior midfield James Rahe have posted points in their last 13 outings.
Finishing Strong
Fourth-year attack Luke Laszkiewicz is putting together an impressive senior campaign. He has now scored 30 goals or more in his last two seasons and has recorded a career-high 16 assists and 67 points in 2016 with the postseason remaining. Laszkiewicz leads the NEC in goals (51), goals per game (3.64), and points per game (4.71) and ranks second in the nation in goals per game and fifth in points per game.
NEC Honors
Senior attack Luke Laszkiewicz and freshman attack Daniel Smith were named NEC Player of the Week and Co-Rookie of the Week, respectively, after their performances at Wagner.
Raising the Bar
In an April 19th win at Canisius, senior attack Luke Laszkiewicz set a new RMU individual game record with eight goals and tied Jake Hayes' record for most points in a game with nine.
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