Moon Township, Pa. – In its first home game of the season, the
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team welcomes Bellarmine to Joe Walton Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m.
While Saturday's game will mark the season opener for Bellarmine (0-0, 0-0 Southern Conference), the Colonials (0-1, 0-0 NEC) kicked off the 2017 campaign with a 15-11 loss at No. 15/14 Penn State. Junior attack
Adrian Torok-Orban led the squad with two goals and two assists. Sophomore goalkeeper
Alex Heger made 15 saves. RMU went 2-2 on man-up opportunities.
| ROBERT MORRIS VS. BELLARMINE |
| SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
| ROBERT MORRIS | BELLARMINE |
|
11:00 a.m. |
NEC Front Row |
Sidearm |
Robert Morris versus Bellarmine
Bellarmine (0-0, 0-0 Southern)
Robert Morris is 3-8 against Bellarmine in program history, and has dropped the last four meetings with the Knights. Last year, RMU fell just short of a road victory at Bellarmine, as the Colonials lost by one, 11-10. Bellarmine opened the game with 10 consecutive goals and held off a furious RMU comeback. The last five contests between the two squads have been decided by three goals or less. The last time RMU came up victorious against Bellarmine was on Feb. 11, 2012, in Louisville, Ky., when the Colonials topped the Knights, 9-8.
Scouting Bellarmine
Bellarmine and Robert Morris meet for the twelfth time in series history, which makes RMU the Knights' most frequent opponent in the 12 years of Bellarmine lacrosse. Both the Knights and the Colonials have been selected to finish fourth in their respective conferences, according to the Southern and Northeast Preseason Coaches' Polls. The Knights return four of their top five scorers from last year, including Preseason All-Southern Conference selection, senior attack/midfield Tucker Ciessau, who led the Knights with 23 goals and 13 assists in 2016.
O Captain! My Captain!
Colonials head coach
Andrew McMinn designated
Marshall Gibson and
Justin Mayfield as captains for this year's team. Redshirt junior midfield Gibson and redshirt junior attack Mayfield were held from competition in 2016 due to injury.
The Trifecta
Robert Morris returns three of its top six scorers from a season ago, compiled of a talented trio in
Adrian Torok-Orban,
Alexander Bohl, and
Eddie Smith. The midfield (Bohl) and two attacks combined for 52 goals, 26 assists, and 78 points in 2016. Smith was named to the All- NEC Rookie Team last year.
All-NEC Returnees
RMU returns two members of the 2016 All-NEC Rookie Team in sophomore goalkeeper
Alex Heger and sophomore attack
Eddie Smith. Heger went 4-3 and logged 464:13 of playing time in his debut season. He made a career-high 15 saves in his first start at Mercer. He finished the 2016 campaign ranked third in the league in goals against average (8.92) and save percentage (.540). Smith finished fifth on the team in goals and sixth in points. He made eight starts and saw action in all 15 games in 2016. He scored a career-high four goals in a pivotal NEC victory against St. Joseph's. Both Heger and Smith were named NEC Rookie of the Week twice last year.
Brotherly Love
The Colonials have had a history of brothers playing together and this season is no different with two sets on the roster. The Gibsons (Leighton and Marshall), and Yepsens (Carter and Conner) make up the RMU family who are truly family. Junior
Mitchell Wales is also part of a RMU brotherly duo. His brother, Eric, is now a Robert Morris lacrosse alum after graduating last year. The last time the Colonials have not had a set of brothers on their roster was in the 2010 season.
Schedule Notes
For the first time since 2012, the Colonials will play a game under the lights of Joe Walton Stadium, when they host Canisius on Tues., April 18 at 7 p.m. in a non-conference, evening clash. Men's and women's lacrosse will also compete in a doubleheader on Sat., March 25. The men's team will open the day with a 1 p.m. faceoff with Mount St. Mary's, and the women's squad will host crosstown rival Duquesne at 4 p.m.
New Faces
The Colonials welcome 15 newcomers, including 13 true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, and one sophomore, to the program in 2017.
Colonials in the Pros
There are currently eleven former Colonials from the Robert Morris men's lacrosse program competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
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