MILWAUKEE -- It has become popular for fans of the Robert Morris men's lacrosse team to repeat the phrase, "Don't let Bobby Mo get hot!" On Saturday afternoon, Robert Morris quickly turned up the heat into a five-alarm blaze of offense that left its host in a cloud of smoke.

The Colonials (4-2) bewildered No. 19/18 Marquette, 12-2, at Valley Fields behind a 7-0 barrage in the first quarter fueled by patient defense and efficient attacking in transition. It led to their second win this season over a ranked opponent, the second time in program history RMU has performed that feat, and the fourth such victory under head coach Andrew McMinn.

Robert Morris tied its record for the fewest single-game goals allowed to a current Division I lacrosse school, having last yielded just two goals in a 10-2 win over Wagner Feb. 24, 2008.

Furthermore, the team defeated an active member of the Big East Conference for the first time.

Seven different players scored for RMU in the opening period to spark its third straight win overall, beginning with senior attackman Adrian Torok-Orban. He netted his fourth career goal in three meetings with MU 2:07 into the contest, after a couple nice stops by Alex Heger at the end of a long first possession.

This would be a recurring theme throughout the match, as the Golden Eagles (3-2) tried to shorten the game, but thanks to the poise of the Colonials defense and more stellar play in goal by Heger, their approach backfired. The junior keeper made 12 saves on the day, thus establishing a new career single-game high .857 save percentage, and RMU took advantage of the 15 turnovers, plus a pair of penalties, Marquette committed.

Carter Yepsen shrugged off a defender, faked and buried a shot from relative distance for a 2-0 Robert Morris lead, then the visitors forced a timeout when Brad McCulley notched his first Colonials goal at the top of the circle with 8:15 left in the first.

The stoppage would do little to change the complexion of the quarter. Tyson Gibson snuck in a wraparound goal, his eighth of the season, with just over six-and-a-half minutes to go, and off the ensuing draw, Matt Schmidt collected his team-leading 12th tally of 2018 from the left side, aided by Jimmy Perkins' team-best 14th assist.

Rookie Corson Kealey bounced his seventh goal of the year past a down-and-out Cole Blazer to open up a 6-0 cushion for the Colonials, then Austin Popovich ended the outburst five seconds before the horn in impressive fashion, beating Blazer off a lofty rebound right in front for his first of the campaign.

The Golden Eagles, entering Saturday, were allowing an average of only 7.50 goals per game.

"I think it's team success, and that success comes from the fact that we do everything consistently throughout the week," said Torok-Orban, whose 73 career goals lead all active RMU players. "You could see the energy top to bottom. Everybody was feeling good about themselves going into gameday, and that funneled into our quick start."

Both teams settled into a defensive rhythm in the second quarter, but the Colonials had no problem waiting to answer Marquette's lone goal. Schmidt, from the close left wing again, extended his streak of multiple-goal games to five with 1:23 left in the half, about halfway through a 30-second delay-of-game penalty on the Golden Eagles.

The reigning NEC Player of the Week remains among the conference leaders in extra-man scores, now with four, and former NEC Rookie of the Year Ryan Smith also capped a two-goal effort with his first man-up strike of the season.

Shortly before the midpoint of the fourth quarter, with MU's points leader, John Wagner, serving a minute for unnecessary roughness, Smith finished a beautiful behind-the-back maneuver just before the penalty expired to give RMU an 11-2 lead.

The Colonials have scored six of their eight man-up goals over their past two victories.

"We've just tried to keep it simple," Torok-Orban said. "We know we're at our best when we're not trying to force things, or get too comfortable out there. Reading and trying to take the best look possible, instead of the first look--having that in the back of our minds can be attributed to the man-up goals."

Prior to Smith's first goal, a mobile Dylan Sidoriak flung a successful shot from up high on the right wing for his first of the year, and Justin Mayfield closed out the scoring with an empty-netter in the game's final seconds.

Sophomore FOGO Trey Arnold, who shared the team lead in ground balls with three, also went a respectable 8-for-17 (.470) from the X after earning his 200th career faceoff win last Saturday.

Robert Morris, which had received votes in the Maverik Media Poll for a second straight week, returns home next Saturday for its Northeast Conference opener versus Sacred Heart, the other NEC vote-getter in the latest national media rankings.

The opening faceoff against the Pioneers from Joe Walton Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Mar. 17, and admission is free.

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