Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team opens the 2017 season with a visit to No. 15/14 Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. in Holuba Hall.
The Colonials (0-0, 0-0 NEC) enter the contest with two exhibition games under their belt, following back-to-back preseason outings against Seton Hill and Mercyhurst last weekend in Joe Walton Stadium. RMU is coming off a 2016 Northeast Conference Tournament appearance, and returns five starters from last season's postseason clash with No. 1 seed St. Joseph's in the tournament semifinals.
| ROBERT MORRIS AT No. 15/14 PENN STATE |
| SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 |
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Faceoff |
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Live Stats |
| ROBERT MORRIS | PENN STATE |
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3:00 p.m. |
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Game Tracker |
Robert Morris versus Penn State
No. 15/14 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Robert Morris is 2-2 against Penn State in program history, and has won two of the previous three meetings. Last year, RMU dropped a 20-7 decision to PSU to open the 2016 season. One of the most memorable moments in Robert Morris lacrosse history is a double-overtime, 12-11 victory over the Nittany Lions on a snowy Valentine's Day in 2009 at Joe Walton Stadium.
Scouting Penn State
Penn State opens the 2017 slate ranked No. 15/14 and boasts two Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mentions on its roster in attack duo senior Nick Aponte and sophomore Grant Ament. Ament led the team in assists in 2016 with 34. Aponte, Ament and sophomore defender Chris Sabia were all awarded Big Ten Preseason honors. Aponte starts the season having registered at least one point in each of his last 33 contests, dating back to April 5, 2014. He was named team captain of the Nittany Lions back in October. PSU returns nine of its 10 starters from 2016, and adds 11 newcomers to the 2017 lineup.
Diving Right In
For the first time since 2011, Robert Morris opens the season against a ranked opponent.
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).
Follow RMU Lacrosse:
@RMUMLacrosse
@RMUMLacrosse
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