Men's Lacrosse | 2/15/2019 9:20:00 PM
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The
Robert Morris men's lacrosse team continues its non-conference slate when it visits the No. 17/16 Hoyas of Georgetown University Saturday afternoon. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET from Cooper Field in Washington, D.C., and the game can be seen live on GUHoyas.com (subscription required).
Robert Morris (0-1) at #17/16 Georgetown (1-0)
Feb. 16 (12:00 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM ($) | LIVE STATS
Robert Morris is coming off a 27-10 loss at consensus No. 9 Penn State in its 15th NCAA Division I season opener last Saturday. No. 17/16 Georgetown is the second of four teams the Colonials will face in 2019 that, like the Colonials (No. 18), was named in the
Inside Lacrosse Preseason Top-25 D-I Poll.
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN
No. 17/16 Georgetown, also coming off an unprecedented conference tournament title in 2018, opened its 2019 season against another Northeast Conference foe, posting a 13-10 win over visiting Sacred Heart last Saturday. A familar face led the offensive charge for the Hoyas, as Daniel Bucaro pumped in a team-best seven points (3 G, 4 A) en route to Big East Attack Player of the Week honors. At the other end, Owen McElroy finished with 16 saves in his first collegiate victory and made the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.
Bucaro has found the net in 34 consecutive games dating back to Mar. 23, 2016, the third-longest active goal streak in NCAA Division I entering Saturday. The senior attackman has registered 83 total goals and 126 points in that span, and he paced GU with four goals and six points in its narrow 12-11 win at Robert Morris Feb. 17, 2018, the last meeting between these teams.
The East Setauket, New York native was unanimously selected to the Preseason All-Big East Team. Also receiving that distinction were sophomore defender Gibson Smith, who was second on the team in ground balls and caused turnovers as a rookie, and senior midfielder Lucas Wittenberg, who finished fourth on the team in points and was chosen to the All-Big East Tournament Team as a junior.
MUSKET SHOTS
Captain's Gotta Teach Stuff
Tyson Gibson, one of four new co-captains in 2019, was hailed as an NEC Prime Performer for his Week 1 efforts at No. 9 Penn State, leading Robert Morris with three goals and five points. Gibson completed his first hat trick as a collegian with :56 remaining in the third quarter at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9, and he punctuated his day by assisting on the first NCAA goal by
Dan Taddeo 23 seconds into the final period.
Hey Rookie, Welcome To The Show
While Taddeo opened his D-I account,
Owen Down recorded one of six RMU caused turnovers in his debut, also getting his first career start at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9.
Derek Palma,
Colton Lidstone,
James Christoforatos,
Brandon Sulhoff,
Will Johansen,
Evan Hellmich and local product
Josh Schreibeis (Cranberry Township, Pa.//Seneca Valley) all debuted for Robert Morris as well, while
Francisco Cox made his first career appearance in the fourth quarter.
That Golden Touch
Gibson, a two-time First Team All-NEC honoree, played hero at No. 20 St. Joseph's in the NEC Final May 5, 2018, burying the golden goal with :10 remaining in overtime. He also scored the first Colonials goal of the 2019 season, beating Colby Kneese of No. 9 Penn State from the right wing with 8:42 left in the first quarter of their Feb. 9 season opener at Holuba Hall. Dating back to last season, he has goals in nine of his past ten games and points in 22 of his last 23. Gibson has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in two career outings against the Hoyas.
An EMO Band
Robert Morris went 4-for-4 on extra-man opportunities at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9. This marked the third time within the past calendar year that RMU registered four man-up goals in a single game, previously accomplishing the uncommon feat versus Sacred Heart Mar. 17, 2018 and High Point Mar. 3, 2018. Last year, the Colonials led the NEC with their .429 success rate on man-ups.
Schmidt Happens
Matt Schmidt, the two-time team leader in goals and a two-time All-NEC Second Team pick, scored two of the four man-up goals for Robert Morris at No. 9 Penn State. In 2018, Schmidt potted nine of those, tied for the fifth-most in the NCAA, to set a new RMU single-season record. Last week he moved past Patrick Smith '11 for fifth all-time, with 15 man-up markers. The 2019 co-captain earned a hat trick the last time he faced Georgetown.
Mr. Saturday Knight
Michael Autry, who transferred to Robert Morris from Bellarmine this past summer, made his Colonials debut at No. 9 Penn State, winning six faceoffs. Autry, coincidentally, made his collegiate debut versus RMU Feb. 9, 2018, going 7-for-13 from the X. He also led the Knights in ground balls in 2018, finishing his freshman campaign with 31.
Bro. Really?
This season marks the first time since 2010 that a pair of brothers is not actively playing for Robert Morris. However, the 2019 team still has family ties to past Colonials.
Will Sturgis is kin to graduate assistant
David Sturgis '18, and 2018 All-NEC Rookie Team member
Corson Kealey is the younger sibling of 2014 All-NEC Rookie Team honoree JonPatrik "JP" Kealey.
What Aboot It?
Kealey, who scored twice in the second half at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9, is one of 15 Canadians on the 2019 Robert Morris roster. This gives the Colonials not only the most Canadians, but also the most international players of any Division I men's team this year. He scored the fourth of 16 goals in his All-NEC Rookie season against Georgetown in 2018.
Reynolds Wrap
Chris Reynolds got his first career win in the NCAA Opening Round May 9, 2018 after seeing just 12:27 of regular-season time. He made six saves and helped RMU shut out Canisius for 28:35 in its historic triumph. Reynolds has finished each of the Colonials' last two games in goal after recording three saves in just under 22 minutes of relief duty at No. 9 Penn State.
Alexander The Great
Alex Heger recorded 13 saves Mar. 7, 2017 at Georgetown, the team's first visit ever to Cooper Field, and he stopped nine Nittany Lions shots in the first quarter alone at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9. The 2018 NEC Tournament MVP entered his last collegiate campaign as RMU's all-time leader in career saves (474) and save percentage (.578), while tied for the most victories in a Colonials uniform (24). Heger became the first First Team Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American in RMU history Dec. 17, 2018.
Toomb Raider
With four ground balls at No. 9 Penn State Feb. 9,
Jack Toomb has collected 169 for his career. This leaves Toomb just six GB's behind Kyle Buchanan '12 for the No. 3 spot in RMU lore. He also ranks fourth all-time at Robert Morris with his 3.45 per-game average through Feb. 9.
Bobby Mo To Pro
Kevin Brownell (Buffalo Bandits),
Jacob Ruest (Colorado Mammoth),
Luc Magnan (Rochester Knighthawks),
Mitch Wilde (Calgary Roughnecks),
James Rahe (Vancouver Warriors), Kyle Buchanan (San Diego Seals), 2018 RMU Athletics Hall-of-Famer Kiel Matisz (Philadelphia Wings),
Tyler Digby and "JP" Kealey (New England Black Wolves) are the nine RMU alumni actively playing in the National Lacrosse League.
The Tall Guy
Will Ewing was named a 2019 defensive co-captain, along with fellow senior
Mike Eveland, after finishing with career highs in ground balls (19) and caused turnovers in 2018 (13).
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