Men's Lacrosse | 2/7/2018 9:53:00 PM

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Robert Morris men's lacrosse team hits the road again to take on Bellarmine for its second straight non-conference game to begin the 2018 regular season. The opening faceoff from Owsley B. Frazier Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m. Friday.

Robert Morris at Bellarmine - Feb. 9
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RMU (0-1) is coming off an 11-7 loss at No. 7/8 Rutgers last Saturday in the first-ever meeting between those teams. The Colonials matched the Scarlet Knights in total shots, with 33, and in goals in the first, third and fourth quarters, but a 4-0 second quarter gave RU a lead it would not relinquish.

SCOUTING BELLARMINE

Bellarmine (0-0) enters its 13th season of NCAA Division I men's lacrosse, the school's lone D-I sport, having faced the Colonials 12 previous times in the history of its program. Robert Morris is, in fact, the Knights' most frequent opponent of all time.

This will be their fourth year of competing in the Southern Conference, per its 2014 sponsorship agreement with the Atlantic Sun Conference. Bellarmine, which was tabbed sixth in the eight-team Southern in the conference's preseason coaches poll, features preseason All-Southern defender Kevin Fahey.

As a junior, Fahey tied for third on the Knights with seven caused turnovers and collected 14 ground balls while starting all 12 of his team's games in 2017. He made the All-Southern Conference Second Team as a sophomore.



AGAINST THE KNIGHTS

Last year, Robert Morris defeated Bellarmine, 10-8, in a Feb. 11 match at Joe Walton Stadium to snap a four-game skid against the Knights and earn its first victory of 2017. Adrian Torok-Orban led the way with two goals and an assist, Justin Mayfield also scored twice and Alex Heger made 13 saves.

In the previous matchup, the visiting Colonials had conceded the game's first ten goals before Bellarmine stopped a near-miraculous comeback just short for an 11-10 win. Again, Torok-Orban tallied twice and added a helper, while midfielders Carter Yepsen and Leighton Gibson each had a goal.

Their last six meetings have been decided by three goals or less, including the most recent RMU triumph at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, a 9-8 decision on Feb. 11, 2012 in which Kiel Matisz and Jake Hayes each recorded hat tricks.

MUSKET SHOTS

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
No. 7/8 Rutgers was the highest-ranked opponent the Colonials faced in a season opener since they met No. 3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Feb. 12, 2011. The Scarlet Knights were also the highest-ranked opponent RMU has played at any point since it hosted No. 3 Maryland Mar. 24, 2015. Consensus No. 12 Penn State is the final February opponent for Robert Morris, which also visits No. 15/17 Marquette Mar. 10. Meanwhile, NEC Tournament champ Bryant received votes in the latest Maverik Media poll published by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. The last time Robert Morris played three or more ranked teams was 2014.

He Makes A Good Point...
Freshmen Corson Kealey and Jake Boudreau, two of seven Robert Morris rookies this year, earned their first collegiate points Feb. 3. The Ontario duo opened their NCAA accounts in the third quarter, when Boudreau scored his first goal with 12:45 left and Kealey registered his first assist on a Jimmy Perkins goal with 9:53 remaining.

Yo Adrian!
Adrian Torok-Orban is an integral part of the scoring depth returning to the 2018 squad. He finished second on RMU with 27 goals in 2017, getting at least one in each of his first 11 games. He scored ten minutes into the first quarter at Rutgers, meaning his next goal will make him just the ninth player in program history to notch 70 for his career. Torok-Orban leads all active Colonials with six career goals against Bellarmine.

Hey Arnold!
Faceoff specialist Trey Arnold went .473 from the X (9-for-19) at Rutgers. This is ahead of his freshman clip of .445 in 2017, good for ninth in the Northeast Conference and a spot on the NEC All-Rookie Team. Joining him on the All-Rookie squad was NEC Rookie of the Year Ryan Smith, who tied last Saturday's opener late in the first quarter with his 21st career goal.



Time To Say Good Knight
Tyson Gibson, who led the Colonials with 22 assists and 41 points en route to an All-NEC selection in 2017, got his first goal of 2018 with 6:43 to go at Rutgers. He now has three goals in as many season openers, and he contributed a first-half goal and assist in last year's victory over Bellarmine at Joe Walton Stadium.



Take Me To Your Leader
For the second year in a row, head coach Andrew McMinn has selected Marshall Gibson and Justin Mayfield to captain the Colonials. Meanwhile, Leighton Gibson and Sean Doyle round out their 2018 leadership group. Marshall Gibson, after missing 2016 due to injury, finished 2017 with five of his ten points (4 G, A) in the final month of regular-season play. Mayfield, who rejoined the team under similar circumstances last year, tied for third on RMU with ten assists. Leighton's four ground balls last year were a career high for the other Gibson brother, while Doyle's five goals, two assists and seven points in 2017 were personal bests for him.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Colonials have had a history of brothers playing together, and with three sets on the roster, this season is no different. Besides the aforementioned Gibsons, the Yepsens (Carter and Conner) and Sturgises (Will and David) make up the RMU family who are literal family. Mitchell Wales and Corson Kealey are also part of RMU brotherly duos; Mitchell's brother, Eric, is a Robert Morris alumnus from the Class of '16, and Corson is the younger brother of 2014 All-NEC Rookie Team standout JonPatrik "JP" Kealey. The last time the Colonials did not have a set of brothers on their roster was 2010.

From Bobby Mo To Pro
Twelve former Colonials have competed in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) since 2016. The elder Kealey became the latest, and also the 20th Robert Morris alumnus drafted into the indoor circuit since 2005, scoring his first pro goal for the New England Black Wolves Dec. 23, 2017.

A Call To The Hall
On Feb. 2 Kiel Matisz, another of the ex-Colonials currently playing professionally, became the first RMU men's lacrosse player inducted into the Robert Morris Athletics Hall of Fame. "Moose," a former All-American and NEC Player of the Year, scored 94 career goals and 72 assists 2009-2012 for the third-highest point total in school history, 166. In 2017, Matisz won an NLL title with the Georgia Swarm, the franchise that drafted him third overall when it was located in Minnesota and with which he made the NLL All-Rookie Team in 2013.

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