Moon Township, Pa. –
The
Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team begins its quest for the 2017 Northeast Conference Championship title in the semifinals on Thursday, May 4 at 4 p.m. against No. 2 seed Bryant on Boswell Field in Geneva, N.Y. The championship game is slated for Saturday, May 6 at noon.
All Northeast Conference Tournament games will be broadcast on
ESPN3.
Robert Morris (9-6, 4-2 NEC) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed. The 2017 NEC Tournament marks RMU's second consecutive appearance in the conference's postseason tournament, and fifth overall. The winner of the 2017 NEC Championship title earns an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The four-team field includes No. 1 seed Hobart (8-6, 5-1 NEC), No. 2 seed Bryant (8-7, 4-2 NEC), No. 3 seed Robert Morris, and No. 4 seed Sacred Heart (9-5, 4-2 NEC).
| ROBERT MORRIS AT THE NEC TOURNAMENT |
|
| THURSDAY, MAY 4 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
TV |
| ROBERT MORRIS | BRYANT |
|
4:00 p.m. |
NEC Front Row |
Hobart |
ESPN3 |
| SATURDAY, MAY 6 |
|
Faceoff |
Live Stream |
Live Stats |
TV |
| NEC CHAMPIONSHIP |
|
12:00 p.m. |
NEC Front Row |
Hobart |
ESPN3 |
Robert Morris versus The Field
Robert Morris is 2-7 all-time against Bryant, 2-6 all-time against Hobart, and 6-7 all-time against Sacred Heart. The Colonials are 1-2 against these three teams combined this season.
Scouting The Field
No. 2 seed Bryant enters the postseason following a 14-12 loss to non-conference opponent Brown, but wrapped up the NEC regular-season slate with a win over RMU, 13-5, on the Bulldogs' Senior Day in Smithfield, R.I. Bryant boasts the No. 5 man-up offense in the country. They lead the NEC in scoring margin (1.73), scoring defense (8.53), man-up offense (.500), and face-off winning percentage (.559). Senior midfield Ryan Sharpe ranks second in the nation in individual man-up goals (7), and junior attack Cam Ziegler ranks fourth in the nation in shot percentage (.510). Senior attack Tucker James paces the Bulldogs with 34 goals and 26 assists for 60 points. He posted a 2G-4A-6PTS line against RMU on Apr. 22.
No. 1 seed Hobart defeated the Colonials, 18-17, on Saturday to capture the 2017 NEC Regular-Season title and the right to host to the 2017 NEC Tournament. The defending NEC Champion Statesmen check in at No. 13 in the nation in scoring offense (12.29) and No. 15 in points per game (18.50). Hobart enters the postseason riding a four-game winning streak. Senior attack and captain Frank Brown leads the Statesmen with 30 goals and 46 points. Sophomore attack Chris Aslanian boasts a team-leading 22 assists and ranks second in points with 44.
No. 4 seed Sacred Heart wrapped up the regular season with back-to-back wins over Cleveland State and Wagner. The Pioneers concluded the season at 9-5 overall for the most wins in a single season in the Division I era of the program. SHU is making its first trip to the postseason since 2014 and third overall. The Pioneers are the No. 1 team in the nation in caused turnovers per game (10.50), led by individual national leader, senior long stick midfield, Ryan O'Donoghue. Redshirt sophomore attack Joe Saggese paces the Pioneers' offense with 20 assists and 52 points. Senior midfield Bryce Jurk is Sacred Heart's leading goal scorer with 33 goals, closely followed by Saggese's 32 tallies
Postseason Play
Robert Morris is making its second consecutive appearance and fifth overall in the Northeast Conference Tournament. The Colonials are 1-3 in postseason games under head coach
Andrew McMinn.
Among the Ranks
The Colonials rank fourth in the nation in caused turnovers per game (9.67), seventh in saves per game (13.00) and rank among the top 20 in assists per game (13th; 7.07), ground balls per game (15th; 31.13), and points per game (17th; 18.47).
Leading the Way
Robert Morris leads the Northeast Conference in assists per game, and ranks second in winning percentage (.600), saves per game, points per game, ground balls per game, clearing percentage (.888), and caused turnovers per game.
Consistency in the Cage
Sophomore goalkeeper
Alex Heger ranks first in the nation in saves per game (12.60) and seventh in save percentage (.564). He paces the NEC in both categories. Heger is six saves away from setting a new single-season saves record at Robert Morris.
Milestone Watch
Junior attack
Adrian Torok-Orban is eight points away from recording his 100th career point (68G-24A-92PTS).
Trending
Redshirt sophomore attack
Matt Schmidt has posted a point in the last six games, including at least one goal in all six outings. Sophomore midfield
Tyson Gibson is riding a three-game point streak, and has posted a point in all but one game this season.
Freshman Phenom
Freshman
Ryan Smith has posted a point in 11 of 14 games played, including seven of the last eight outings. He ranks fourth on the team in goals (20), fourth in assists (8) and fourth in points (28).
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).
Follow RMU Lacrosse:
@RMUMLacrosse
@RMUMLacrosse
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