Women's Lacrosse | 4/11/2019 1:30:00 PM

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team returns home after two weeks away, hosting Northeast Conference rival Saint Francis on Friday afternoon in the Colonials' lone game of the week. This will be the first of three NEC home games for the Colonials over the next three weeks.

THE BASICS
ROBERT MORRIS (7-4, 0-2 NEC)
vs. SAINT FRANCIS (3-7, 0-2)
Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m.
Joe Walton Stadium
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

LAST WEEK
The Colonials weren't at their best in the opening weekend of NEC action against a pair of title contenders, falling 17-7 at Wagner on Friday and 14-3 at Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. Senior Sophia Eureka scored twice in the league opener against the Seahawks, while junior Thalia Zolis ripped home at pair against the Mountaineers. Junior Kelly Colegrove shined on the defensive side, piling up eight ground balls and eight caused turnovers over the weekend.

HISTORY LESSON
Robert Morris has played its lone in-state NEC rival in every season of the program's history. The Colonials have beaten the Red Flash in 13 consecutive meetings and have taken all six home matchups between the two. Last season, RMU claimed an 18-12 victory over SFU last April, with then-junior Shannon Lynch and sophomore Melanie Gandy recording dueling hat tricks. Eureka, Meghan Crouse and Kerri Sayrafe added two goals apiece in the highest-scoring game of the Colonials' 2018 schedule.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Since a three-game win streak in mid-March, the Red Flash have dropped three straight, including its first two in NEC competition. Like Robert Morris, Saint Francis also lost to the Mount and Wagner last weekend, getting outscored 32-13 on aggregate. Senior Morgan Day (24 goals) and sophomore Emileigh Scott (21) have been top guns for head coach Kara Concheck, while senior goalkeeper Ashley Stoessel has started nine of 10 games, including both last weekend.

TRUE FACT
The last time Robert Morris lost consecutive games in conference play, it rebounded to make the NEC tournament. In 2015, the Colonials dropped three in a row against league rivals and four out of five overall, but qualified as the No. 4 seed after a season-closing victory.

WEATHER REPORT
We're looking at an unsettled Friday in greater Pittsburgh, with thunderstorms expected in the afternoon. On the positive side, temperatures will linger in the 70s, making for the warmest gameday of 2019.

SHE SAID IT
Sophomore defender Katie Martin on ...

Having outside interests and extracurricular activities: "I think it's important to have a balance, not just on the field or in the classroom. We're together so often, but it's important to experience the school as a whole and not just athletically."

How she judges her play individually: "It's a matter of whether I can hold my head high at the end of the game, if I did everything I possibly could, even if there are no stats to show. It's a matter of, am I proud of what I did individually and what we did as a unit."

How the second-year experience is different from the first: "Everything's not new anymore. I know what to expect from most of these (opponents). I know what standard I can hold myself to and what standard we want to reach as a (defensive) unit. Every year, I'm going to see it as a new opportunity, something new and fun."

The team's goal for its first NEC home match: "We're going to keep playing lacrosse, be fluid and together. Just looking toward the next play. We expect a good fight (from Saint Francis), for sure. We expect to fight hard, play hard, work together and win."

Watch the full interview here:



KNOW BOBBY MO
• Following three consecutive winning seasons in NEC play and five straight conference tournament berths, the Colonials return 12 players who competed in all 18 games last year. RMU was picked by league coaches to finish fourth

• Through the end of non-conference play, Robert Morris ranks fourth among its NEC sisters in scoring offense (11.1 goals per game), third in scoring defense (10.7 goals allowed) and third scoring margin (plus-0.4).

• Junior goalie Katelyn Miller is on pace for the second-best single-season save percentage by a starter in program history. Her .505 mark through 11 games ranks 10th in Division I and would threaten the .508 put up by former Colonial Erica Webb in 2009.

• Junior attacker Mackenzie Gandy is putting together a special season, as she ranks third in the NEC and 79th in the nation with 3.64 points per game. If maintained, that rate would place Gandy fifth in program history; she already has RMU's ninth-best points-per-game year, at 3.11 as a freshman in 2017.

• Melanie Gandy is showing off her playmaking skill to a great degree in her junior year, averaging 1.45 assists per game. That would rank seventh in team history if she maintains that rate, just slightly behind twin sister Mackenzie's 1.50 two years ago.

• Junior defender Kelly Colegrove is again excelling in taking the ball away, as she ranks first in the NEC with 2.36 caused turnovers per game, the fourth-best single-season pace in team history. That exceeds her 2.00 CT rate from last season, when she was an All-NEC First Team honoree.

• Junior midfielder Clio Kerr is one of the top draw-control artists in D-I lacrosse, averaging 4.88 per game. That's good for third in the NEC and the best per-game rate in team history by someone not named Jessica Karwacki, who led the nation in draw controls per game in three straight seasons (2013-15).

• For more fun facts on this year's squad, the 15th in team history, click here.

STERLING SILVA
Entering her second season in charge of the Colonials, Katrina Silva brings 12 years of Division I head coaching experience to the table. Before taking over the program in 2018, Silva served as an RMU assistant coach for five years and a volunteer assistant for one.

Previous to her time in Moon Township, Silva led the lacrosse programs at Virginia Tech (four years) and Colgate (seven), in addition to Division III Roanoke College. A goalie in her playing days, she was the 1993 Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year for Towson.

IRISH EYES ARE SMILIN'
Kerr and assistant coach Cacki Helmer have been chosen to represent Ireland in the upcoming European Championship this summer in Israel. Kerr, whose father was born in Ireland, will be one of the youngest players on the squad, while Helmer will serve as head coach following a few years as an assistant for the national team.

HONOR ROLL
The following Colonials have earned NEC weekly awards this season:
Katelyn Miller (Defensive Player of Week - Feb. 18-24, March 25-31)
Mackenzie Gandy (Player of Week - Feb. 18-24, Feb. 25-March 3)
Clio Kerr (Defensive Player of Week - Feb. 25-March 3)
Melanie Gandy (Player of Week - March 11-17)

MARCH WITH THE COLONIALS
In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.

NEXT WEEK
The Colonials head back to the road for a two-game NEC trip, starting next Thursday, April 18, at Sacred Heart. RMU will wrap the journey with a Saturday morning date at LIU Brooklyn.