Men's Lacrosse | 4/27/2018 10:38:00 AM
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The No. 18/20
Robert Morris men's lacrosse team concludes its 2018 regular season Saturday afternoon when it welcomes the Hawks of Saint Joseph's University for a pivotal Northeast Conference contest. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EDT at Joe Walton Stadium, and admission is free.
Prior to the start of the game, the RMU men's lacrosse Class of '18 will be recognized as part of its annual Senior Day festivities.
Zachary Bryant,
Zac Christianson,
Sean Doyle,
Leighton Gibson,
Marshall Gibson,
Justin Mayfield,
David Sturgis,
Adrian Torok-Orban,
Mitchell Wales,
Carter Yepsen and
Conner Yepsen are the ones to be lauded before taking part in the final regular-season game of their collegiate careers.
#18/20 Robert Morris vs. (RV)/(RV) St. Joseph's - Apr. 28
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The Colonials (10-3, 4-1) are coming off a 15-5 win, their fourth in a row, at NEC rival Wagner last Saturday, achieving the second ten-win season in team history and setting the stage for today's NEC regular-season title tilt.
A win by SJU, regardless of the final score, gives it the championship outright and puts the 2018 NEC Men's Lacrosse Tournament at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia May 3-5. A win by RMU forges a three-way tie among the Hawks (9-3, 5-0), Colonials and Bryant (8-6, 5-1) that will be broken by the fewest goals allowed in games between said teams.
Bryant defeated Robert Morris 10-7 Mar. 30, then St. Joseph's defeated the Bulldogs 14-7 Apr. 14, leaving the Colonials at ten, Bryant at 21 and SJU at seven entering Saturday.
Therefore, Robert Morris must defeat St. Joe's by four or more goals and allow fewer than 11 goals to capture the crown and hosting rights without subjecting itself to further tiebreakers.
Fans can read the complete tiebreaking procedures at
www.northeastconference.org.
All three teams have already clinched spots in the NEC Tournament. This will mark the third straight appearance for RMU, its fifth under head coach
Andrew McMinn and sixth all-time.
SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
The Hawks defeated Mount St. Mary's, 14-7, on their Senior Day last Saturday for their program-record ninth straight win, keeping the inside track on the NEC regular-season title. Co-captains Chris Blewitt and Mike Rastivo have been driving forces behind the Hawks' hot streak.
Blewitt, the two-time NEC Player of the Week, leads the team with 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) and the senior combined for 11 (6 G, 5 A) in wins over the Mount Apr. 21 and No. 20 Penn Apr. 17. Grad student and fellow attackman Rastivo owns the fifth-longest active point streak in Division I at 52 games (116 G, 54 A; Apr. 5, 2014-present) and is SJU's all-time goals leader (127).
Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper and two-time NEC Rookie of the Week Mike Adler has a .604 save percentage, third-best in D-I.
AGAINST THE HAWKS
Robert Morris, while seeking its second-ever regular-season NEC title and first since 2012, is also vying for back-to-back victories over St. Joseph's for the first time ever, and its third win in the last four meetings.
Last year, it erased an early 3-0 deficit in Philly with a rally bookended by
Shane Majewski, who scored the first and last goals and added a ground ball for the Colonials in their 13-7 comeback victory Apr. 1, 2017. The win was fortified by
Alex Heger, who collected three GB's and made a career single-game high 20 saves.
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A pair of career-bests up front by
Eddie Smith, including a game-opening natural hat trick and his second four-goal outing as a rookie, helped RMU beat the Hawks 13-8 in their last visit to Joe Walton Stadium Apr. 23, 2016. Smith also scooped a personal-record three ground balls.
MUSKET SHOTS
Having A Senior Moment
The 11-man Class of '18 will be celebrated Saturday after a combined 504 games played, 174 goals, 97 assists, 481 ground balls and 208 caused turnovers.
Adrian Torok-Orban tops that group with 86 goals, eighth-most in RMU lore, including four in four outings against St. Joe's.
Poll City
The Colonials are No. 18 in the USILA Coaches' Poll and No. 20 in the Maverik Media Poll published by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. This is the ninth week in a row RMU has, minimally, received votes in at least one of those two polls, the longest such streak in program history. SJU received votes in both polls this week, making it the fifth RMU foe in 2018 to receive votes in at least one. RMU has improved to No. 19 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which impacts NCAA Tournament berths. A total of 16 teams will qualify for this year's field, which the Colonials will try to make for the first time ever.
Toomb Raider
On Apr. 23
Jack Toomb became the third different Colonial is as many weeks and sixth this year named NEC Defensive Player of the Week. Toomb, who also won it Feb. 12, scooped five ground balls at Wagner to move up to fifth on the RMU all-time list with 149 career GB's.
Quaker's Stake
Former Quaker Valley multi-sport star
Jimmy Perkins was named a Week 11 NEC Prime Performer for enjoying the second eight-point game of his career (4 G, 4 A) in RMU's 15-5 win at Wagner. He is the fifth different Colonial to record eight-plus in two games and only the fourth to do it twice in the same year (last: Feb. 9 at Bellarmine). It put Perkins up to 26 assists in 2018, which ties the RMU single-season record set by Kyle Buchanan in 2012.
Stop 'N Save
Alex Heger made the second round of additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List Apr. 12. He leads the NCAA with his .608 save percentage and is top ten in saves per game (11.69; 9th) and goals-against average (7.65; 6th). His tenth win in goal Apr. 21 at Wagner set a new RMU single-season record, and another today would tie the single-year mark for team victories.
We're Not Worthy!
The last Colonial nominated for the Tewaaraton Award was Kiel Matisz, who was tabbed a semifinalist in 2012. On Feb. 2 Matisz became the first men's lacrosse member of the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame. "Moose," now with the National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Georgia Swarm, was also a 2012 USILA All-American and the NEC Player of the Year, ending up third in RMU history with 166 points.
From Bobby Mo To Pro
Zachary Bryant will also play pro ball, as he was drafted in the 5th Round of the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft, 45th overall, by the MLL champion Ohio Machine Apr. 18. Bryant, the program's first MLL draftee since
Sean Meagher in 2015 and fifth all-time, will be coached in the outdoor circuit by Kenneth "Bear" Davis, who served as RMU's head coach 2005-2011.
Occasionally, The Hawk Dies
Two other future pros played integral roles in the last Robert Morris triumph over SJU at Joe Walton Stadium.
Luke Laszkiewicz '16 and
James Rahe '16 each ended their Senior Day with a hat trick and an assist, with Rahe providing a game-winning man-up goal. Laszkiewicz has spent the past two seasons in the Rochester Knighthawks' organization, while Rahe has compiled 37 points (13 G, 24 A) in two NLL campaigns of his own with the Vancouver Stealth.
Hail To The Thief
Bryant enters Saturday second to Meagher in RMU history with 71 career caused turnovers and fifth in the nation with 2.38 CT's per game. On Apr. 22 he was named 2017 team MVP after recording, then, a career-high 22 as a junior, and he earned the 2017-18 Robert Morris Male Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award for boasting a 3.90 GPA as a Biology major.
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Bryant, Toomb and
Zac Christianson have combined for 66 caused turnovers, making them the second-highest ranking trio in CT's in D-I. Bryant, on Apr. 10 at Canisius, became the only other Colonial besides Meagher to register 5+ CT's in a single game twice in the same season.
Afternoon "D"-Light
Robert Morris and St. Joseph's are tied for eighth in D-I with their team GAA of 7.92, which would shatter the RMU single-season record (10.31 in 2017). RMU is third in CT's per game (10.15) and second in man-down defense (.811). The Colonials sit just outside the top ten with 12.0 saves per game.
An EMO Band
RMU has scored 16 of its 18 goals on extra-man opportunities over its last nine games. The Colonials are tied for seventh in D-I in man-ups (.500), and
Matt Schmidt shares third in the NCAA with eight EMO goals, tying the RMU single-season record set by
Jake Hayes in 2011.
Bro. Really?
Robert Morris has had a set of brothers on its roster every year since 2010. The Gibsons (Marshall & Leighton), Yepsens (Carter & Conner) and Sturgises (Will & David) make up the Colonial family who are literal family.
Carter Yepsen's nine points (7 G, 2 A) lead that pack.
Captain's Gotta Teach Stuff
Grad students
Justin Mayfield and
Marshall Gibson retained their captaincies this season, and
Leighton Gibson and
Sean Doyle complete the 2018 leadership group. Mayfield was honored in April with the RMU Signature Leadership Award for excellence in academics and community service.
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