Moon Township, Pa. – The anticipation for a marquee matchup between top Northeast Conference (NEC) contenders Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team and Hobart intensified during a one-and-a-half hour lightning delay before the Colonials and Statesmen finally took the field, where Hobart came out victorious in a second-half comeback, 18-17, Saturday afternoon on Senior Day in Joe Walton Stadium.
 
With the win, Hobart (8-6, 5-1 NEC) earned the 2017 NEC Regular-Season Championship title, and the right to host the 2017 NEC Tournament. Robert Morris (9-6, 4-2 NEC) will make the trip to Geneva, NY, to make the program's second consecutive appearance in the postseason, and fifth overall. The Colonials enter the four-team tournament as the No. 3 seed, and will take on No. 2 Bryant in the NEC Semifinals on Thursday, May 4. The championship game takes place Saturday, May 6.
 
Sophomore midfield Tyson Gibson and redshirt sophomore attack Matt Schmidt led the Colonials offense with six points each. Gibson's three goals marked his first career hat trick. Redshirt sophomore attack Jimmy Perkins and junior attack Adrian Torok-Orban each chipped in with three points apiece. Sophomore long stick midfield Jack Toomb and freshman faceoff specialist Trey Arnold both collected a team-leading six ground balls. Toomb and fellow defenseman, junior Zac Christianson, caused two turnovers. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Heger made 10 saves.
 

Hobart got hot in the second half, and carried a 6-1 run that started in the third right into the final frame. The Statesmen's sophomore attack Chris Aslanian capped the scoring streak with his team-leading fifth goal of the day to give Hobart its largest lead of the game, 17-13, with 4:05 to play. Robert Morris responded with a man-up goal from Gibson, and scored three of the next four goals to close in on Hobart. With just six seconds left following redshirt junior Marshall Gibson's goal to bring the Colonials within one, the home team ran out of time for a game-tying tally.
 
With the score knotted heading into the second half, the two teams traded goals back and forth through the third. The Colonials held Hobart from capturing a lead until there were 24 seconds remaining in the frame, and the Statesmen moved ahead, 13-12, which marked Hobart's first lead since they scored the opening goal of the game.
 
RMU kicked off the second period with a goal, but Hobart started to pick up momentum and scored five straight goals to trim the Colonials lead to one, 8-7. Freshman attack Ryan Smith turned the tide back in RMU's favor, when he raced to a loose ball at midfield and converted a Hobart turnover into a Colonials goal. But after the Statesmen trailed by six in the first half, Hobart managed to tie the game, 9-9, following the first 30 minutes of action.
 
Hobart opened the scoring on their first possession of the first period, but Robert Morris responded with three goals in 36 seconds to quickly set the tempo. The Colonials used a five-goal scoring streak to force the Statesmen to regroup and take a timeout. Hobart scored out of the timeout, but the rest of the quarter was dominated by Robert Morris, as they ended the opening frame with a 7-2 advantage.
 
The two teams ended the day tied in shots, 47-47. Hobart won the ground ball battle, 36-34, and went one-for-one on man-up opportunities, while Robert Morris converted on one of its five extra-man chances. The Colonials went 19-for-37 in the faceoff X.
 
A new season begins for RMU as they set their sights on the program's first-ever NEC Championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 seed Colonials will compete in the NEC Semifinals on Thursday, May 4. The NEC title game is set for Saturday, May 6, in Geneva, NY.
 
 
Senior Day
Seniors Brett Cass and Alec Johnston were honored prior to today's opening faceoff.
 
Share the Wealth
RMU's offensive production has been spread throughout the stat sheet across multiple players. Three different players have recorded 30 points or more this season. In total, 21 different Colonials have found the back of the net at least once 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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