Men's Lacrosse | 5/2/2018 11:31:00 PM

PHILADELPHIA -- The Robert Morris men's lacrosse team continues its third consecutive postseason appearance Saturday afternoon when it meets the defending regular-season champion Hawks of Saint Joseph's University in the championship game of the 2018 Northeast Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EDT at Sweeney Field and can be seen live on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.

Tickets will be available the day of the event at the host site. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for those under 18 and/or senior citizens. All students of NEC schools with an institutional I.D. will be admitted free.

Fans can visit NEC Tournament Headquarters for more information.

(RV)/(RV) Robert Morris vs. #20/20 St. Joseph's - May 5
NEC Tournament - LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS

The Colonials (11-4) are coming off a 12-5 defeat of defending tournament champ Bryant at Sweeney Field Thursday that gave them their first playoff win and NEC Final berth since 2013, also tying the team's single-season record for wins. The Hawks (11-3) extended their program-record winning streak to 11 games by defeating No. 4 seed Sacred Heart 11-9 in Thursday's first semifinal contest.

This marks the sixth NEC Tournament for RMU in program history, its fifth under head coach Andrew McMinn and the second straight year the Colonials opened with No. 2 seed Bryant as the No. 3 seed. Robert Morris avenged a 10-7 regular-season loss to the Bulldogs Mar. 30, as well as a 12-3 setback in last year's conference semifinal at Hobart College's Boswell Field in Geneva, New York May 4, 2017.

Its last meeting with No. 20 St. Joseph's at Sweeney Field resulted in a come-from-behind 13-7 victory Apr. 1, 2017 in which the Colonials erased an early 3-0 deficit.

If RMU wins, it will capture its first-ever NEC Tournament crown and earn the right to play in the first NCAA Tournament game in team history, on a date and time to be announced.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

St. Joseph's, coming off its fourth regular-season crown in five years, is trying, at home, for its first NEC Tournament title as well.

All-conference co-captains Chris Blewitt and Mike Rastivo shared the team lead with 22 goals, and the former paced the Hawks with 43 points. The Robert Morris defense held the senior and grad student, respectively, to just one last Saturday.

Second Team All-NEC keeper and three-time NEC Rookie of the Week Mike Adler stopped 12 RMU shots that day and ranks second nationally with a .606 save percentage.

AGAINST THE FIELD

Robert Morris has a chance to rebound from a Senior Day loss to the Hawks. Jimmy Perkins notched his fifth HT of the year and third in a four-game span when last the Colonials met SJU Apr. 28, and he also scooped three ground balls.

NEC Prime Performer Jack Toomb aided their transition offense in what proved to be a defensive struggle between the cross-state rivals, causing two turnovers and finishing with a game-high seven GB's.

MUSKET SHOTS

Having A Senior Moment
Adrian Torok-Orban tops the 11-man RMU senior class with 86 career goals, eighth-most in school history, and 43 in NEC play. He has four goals and two assists lifetime against St. Joe's.

Poll City
The Colonials received votes in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Maverik Media Poll published by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. This is the tenth week in a row RMU has, minimally, received votes in at least one of those two polls, the longest such streak in program history.

Toomb Raider
On Apr. 23 Second Team All-NEC selection Jack Toomb became the third different Colonial is as many weeks and sixth this year named NEC Defensive Player of the Week. He got a game-high seven ground balls last Saturday and now sits alone in fourth all-time at Robert Morris with 157, and his 17 caused turnovers this regular season equaled his career high.

Quaker's Stake
Jimmy Perkins, once a champion in both lacrosse and hockey at nearby Quaker Valley High School, is the fifth different Colonial to notch eight-plus points in two games, and only the fourth to do it twice in one season (Feb. 9 at Bellarmine, Apr. 21 at Wagner). Perkins, another Second Team All-NEC pick, was second in the conference with 26 regular-season assists and broke the RMU single-year mark set by Kyle Buchanan in 2012 with his 27th on Thursday.

Stop 'N Save
Before he made First Team All-NEC, Alex Heger made the second round of additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List Apr. 12, the third NEC player to be considered. He ranks fourth nationally with his 7.49 goals-against average, and he is one of three NEC keepers in the NCAA top ten for save percentage (.609; 2nd). His 466 career stops are the most in program history, helping him establish a new RMU single-season record with 11 victories in goal.

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 NLL's 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.

Hail To The Thief
Bryant is second to Meagher in RMU history with 75 career caused turnovers and fourth in the nation with 2.33 CT's per game. He is also the only Colonial besides Meagher in 2013 to be named NEC Defensive Player of the Year. On Apr. 22 Bryant was named 2017 team MVP after recording, then, a career-high 22 CT's as a junior, and he received 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, who got his first career First Team All-NEC nod this week, have combined for 76 caused turnovers, putting them top-seven among D-I trios in that category. Bryant, Apr. 10 at Canisius, became the only Colonial besides Meagher to record five or more CT's in a game twice in one year (last: at No. 16/15 Penn State Feb. 24).

Afternoon "D"-Light
Robert Morris ranks fourth in D-I with its team GAA of 7.73, which is on pace to shatter its single-season record of 10.31 set in 2017. The Colonials are second nationally in man-down defense (.814), and they have killed eight of their last nine penalties against NEC opponents.

Occasionally, The Hawk Dies
Two other all-conference honorees played key roles in the last Robert Morris win at Sweeney Field. Down 3-0, 2018 second-team choices Ryan Smith and Matt Schmidt each put up a pair of goals and one assist to rally RMU to a 13-7 triumph over SJU Apr. 1, 2017. Two-time First Team All-NEC pick Tyson Gibson has two goals in each his last two games against the Hawks. Gibson, furthermore, is riding a team-best 19-game point streak dating back to Apr. 18, 2017.

An EMO Band
The Colonials led the NEC at .462 in extra-man opportunities. Schmidt is tied for fifth in the NCAA with eight EMO goals, sharing 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. Meanwhile, 2018 All-NEC Rookie Team member Corson Kealey is the younger brother of 2014 All-NEC Rookie Team selection JonPatrik "JP" Kealey.

Captain's Gotta Teach Stuff
Grad students Justin Mayfield and Marshall Gibson complete the 2018 leadership group with Leighton Gibson and Sean Doyle. Mayfield, a two-time captain, received the RMU Signature Leadership Award for excellence in academics and community service back in April.

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