Moon Township, Pa. – The Colonials look to take the momentum from their first win of the season at home to Riverdale, N.Y., this weekend, as the
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team heads to Manhattan College on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m.
Robert Morris (1-1) defeated Bellarmine, 10-8, in Joe Walton Stadium last weekend to tab their first victory of the season. While the Colonials have yet to compete in conference, Manhattan's (1-1) first two games of the season were played against Northeast Conference (NEC) members, Bryant and Wagner. The Jaspers enter the weekend following a triple overtime victory over the Seahawks.
| ROBERT MORRIS AT MANHATTAN |
| SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
| ROBERT MORRIS | MANHATTAN |
|
11:00 a.m. |
Go Jaspers |
Go Jaspers |
Robert Morris versus Manhattan
Manhattan (1-1, 0-0 MAAC)
Robert Morris is 4-1 all time against Manhattan, and has won the last four meetings between the two programs. Last year, RMU defeated the Jaspers in Joe Walton Stadium, 19-6. The win marked the highest-scoring contest of the season for the Colonials in 2016.
Scouting Manhattan
The Manhattan Jaspers have two contests against Northeast Conference opponents under their belt this season. Manhattan kicked off the 2017 campaign with a loss to Bryant, 17-10. The Jaspers enter this weekend coming off a triple overtime victory over Wagner, 14-13. Sophomore attack Parker Giarratana paces the offense with eight points (5G-3A). Freshman attack Trevor Pelletier has six points on four goals and two assists in his first two collegiate outings. Junior midfield Joseph Bressingham and sophomore midfield Robert Carroll have each recorded 10 ground balls through the first two games of the season. Junior goalkeeper Michael Zingaro has made two starts in net.
NEC Standouts
Sophomore goalkeeper
Alex Heger was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week. He made a career-high 15 saves at Penn State, and tabbed his fewest goals allowed (eight) in a career start at RMU in the Colonials' win over Bellarmine. Junior attack
Adrian Torok-Orban was also recognized as a NEC Prime Performer for the week.
Mr. Reliable
Junior attack
Adrian Torok-Orban is currently riding a 17-game point streak, dating back to April 25, 2015.
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.
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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