Philadelphia, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team remained poised after falling behind Saint Joseph's, 3-0, in the first quarter, and responded with a 7-0 run en route to a 13-7 victory over the Hawks Saturday afternoon on Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
With the win, the Colonials (7-3, 3-0 NEC) improved to 3-0 in conference action, and extended their winning streak to three games. The Hawks (3-7, 0-2 NEC) dropped their fourth straight decision, and fell to 0-2 in league play.
 
Eleven different Colonials registered a point in the team effort for the win, while sophomore goalkeeper Alex Heger achieved a new career-high with 20 saves in the cage. Redshirt sophomore attack Matt Schmidt and freshman attack Ryan Smith led the offense with three points on two goals and one assist each. Sophomore midfield Tyson Gibson, sophomore attack Shane Majewski, and junior attack Adrian Torok-Orban all added two goals apiece. Gibson picked up a career-high four ground balls. Redshirt junior midfield Marshall Gibson and junior midfield Carter Yepsen also posted multi-point efforts with one goal and one assist. Junior midfield Conner Yepsen had a solid, all-around game with a goal, two ground balls, and a team-leading three caused turnovers.
 
Sophomore long stick midfield Jack Toomb picked up a career-high eight ground balls. Junior long stick midfield Zachary Bryant recorded two ground balls and forced three turnovers.

 
Saint Joseph's opened the fourth quarter with a man-up goal at 12:38, but the Colonials answered with back-to-back tallies, including a man-up effort from Gibson that earned the Colonials their largest advantage of the game, 12-6. The RMU defense shut down the SJU offense for nearly seven minutes before the Hawks managed to score again to trim the Colonials' lead back to five. Majewski closed out the game on a solo effort with 1:06 to go to put Robert Morris back up by six and seal the win.
 
Heger helped set the tone in the third with another big stop early on, and the Colonials capitalized, as Schmidt converted on the other end for his second goal of the game. The Hawks finally managed to snap the Robert Morris 7-0 run that materialized in the opening frame with their first goal since the first quarter, to reduce the RMU lead to three, 7-4. Robert Morris outscored Saint Joseph's 4-2, in the third to take a 10-5 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Despite a slow start in the opening frame, the Colonials came out firing to start the second. Smith scored a transition goal early in the period to tie the game. Following a key save from Heger, Schmidt scored on the Colonials subsequent play to give Robert Morris its first lead of the game, 4-3, at 11:40. Carter Yepsen picked up the ball at midfield, and drove all the way to the net, bypassing multiple Hawks defensemen along the way, to increase the RMU edge to two. Gibson capped the half with another Colonials tally to help Robert Morris to a 6-3 advantage heading into the intermission. Robert Morris held Saint Joseph's scoreless in the second period.
 
The Hawks opened the first period on a 3-0 tear, but on the first play following a Colonials timeout, Majewski made a move to escape a Saint Joseph's defender behind the net, and shot the ball high over the Hawks' goalkeeper to put Robert Morris on the board. With 18 seconds remaining in the frame, Conner Yepsen forced a Hawks turnover, ran the ball from end to end, and converted the Saint Joseph's miscue into a Colonials goal to reduce the SJU lead to one, 3-2.
 
For the second consecutive game, the Colonials won the ground ball battle, 34-28. RMU held its opponent to single-digit scoring for the second time in the last three outings. Robert Morris forced 12 turnovers to Saint Joseph's 10 caused turnovers.
 
Robert Morris returns home to host Wagner on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m. in Joe Walton Stadium. RMU will host a Youth Day in conjunction with the NEC matchup. The first 150 fans will receive a collapsible laundry hamper, courtesy of Dick's Sporting Goods. A longest throw halftime competition will be open to youth lacrosse players in grades K through eighth. A post-game autograph session will be held on the field. Admission is free to all fans.
 
 
Career Day in the Cage
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Heger set a new career high with 20 saves in today's win. Heger's 20 stops rank fifth on the all-time individual game records at Robert Morris. His seven goals allowed mark a career low in a Northeast Conference start for the netminder.
 
Flashback
This is the first time RMU opened a Northeast Conference slate with a 3-0 record since 2012, when the Colonials went undefeated (5-0) in league action.
 
Mr. Reliable
Junior attack Adrian Torok-Orban is one of 24 players nationally who are currently riding a 20-plus game point streak (25 games: 50G, 15A, 65P) dating back to April 25, 2015.
 
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. Robert Morris' April 8 game against Wagner is Youth Day. Giveaways, a halftime competition and more will be offered to youth lacrosse athletes, grades K through eighth.
 
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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