Men's Lacrosse | 4/12/2019 6:00:00 PM
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The
Robert Morris men's lacrosse team concludes the non-conference portion of its 2019 regular season schedule when it visits the Vikings of Cleveland State University, an NCAA Division I independent, for the first time ever Saturday. The opening faceoff from Krenzler Field in Cleveland is set for 12:00 p.m. EDT.
Robert Morris (4-7, 2-2) at Cleveland State (6-6)
Apr. 13 (12:00 p.m.) - LIVE STATS
The Colonials are coming off a 13-12 upset of No. 17 Lehigh at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Wednesday evening. Robert Morris scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter, part of a game-changing 7-1 run, then got a pair of critical stops on defense for its third straight win, its first over a ranked opponent in four such road games this season and the sixth under head coach
Andrew McMinn.
Matt Schmidt put the Colonials in control of their first-ever game against Cleveland State with a natural hat trick, and
Alex Heger, fresh off his addition to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, slammed the door with 16 saves in a 14-5 win over the young Vikings at Joe Walton Stadium Apr. 14, 2018.
The RMU defense, which caused 11 of CSU's 13 turnovers, got two ground balls and a pair of CT's from
Jack Toomb while allowing only one goal in a span of 50:46.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State has reeled off a run of five goals or more in six of its past 11 games. CSU's 6-0 run versus Michigan Feb. 9 represented the most consecutive goals scored by the Vikings against a nationally ranked opponent. CSU has posted at least five straight goals in wins over Bellarmine, Mercer, Marquette, Canisius and St. Bonaventure. The Vikings posted 13 straight goals in the win over Canisius and ten straight on the Bonnies last Saturday.
Freshman Andrew Hamilton put forth a third straight strong outing last time out, winning 16 of 20 faceoffs while tallying a season-high 12 ground balls. Hamilton prevailed in 15 of 25 over Canisius Apr. 2, and in 13 of 22 against Penn State's Preseason All-American, Gerard Arceri, Mar. 23, his first significant action in a competitive game. Danny Tesler, who leads CSU with 62 GB's, scooped 11 and went 16-for-21 (.762) from the X at Robert Morris last spring, adding a goal and an assist in the inaugural meeting between the schools.
Sherwin Gersten, the team's lone senior, will be honored before Saturday's game. Gersten has played in 35 of a possible 40 games and has posted 13 goals and five assists. The veteran midfielder posted his first career hat trick against St. Bonaventure, and he scored the game's first goal for the Vikings the last time he faced the Colonials.
MUSKET SHOTS
Climbing The Apple Tree
The Colonials are now up to fifth in the NCAA with their average of 8.91 assists per game.
Tyson Gibson, one of three Colonials (
Ryan Smith,
Jake Boudreau) in the NEC's top ten individually, is tied for second in the league and tied for 21st nationally with his 2.00 clip. With 71 career assists, Gibson is on pace to break Class of '12 Kyle Buchanan's all-time program record of 76.
Caps For Sale
A Colonial has recorded a hat trick in 20 of the past 21 games. The double hat trick by Kealey versus Wagner Apr. 6 was the 16th in team history. Not only is Kealey just the tenth different RMU player to get a double HT, but he is also just the second Colonial to do it twice or more in the same season (last:
Luke Laszkiewicz, Mar. 5, 2016; Apr. 19, 2016; and Apr. 30, 2016). He recorded his team-best eighth HT at Lehigh, giving him a team-best 34 goals on the year, and has four hat tricks in his past three outings.
Ryan Smith picked up his seventh with his team-leading four-goal effort in Bethlehem Wednesday.
An EMO Band
The Colonials have scored on nine of their last ten extra-man opportunities, including the third-quarter strike by
Brad McCulley Wednesday. McCulley tied
Matt Schmidt, the Robert Morris leader, with his fifth EMO marker of 2019, two off the Division I pace, and RMU leads the NEC with its .586 conversion rate in man-up situations, also ranking second in the NCAA.
The Tall Guy
Will Ewing started at Lehigh, his 55th all-time start at RMU, putting him third in program history, and the defensive co-captain led the Colonials with three caused turnovers. If Ewing starts each of the team's last three regular-season games, he will tie the record of 58 set by fellow D-man and ex-teammate
Zac Christianson '18 in the NCAA Tournament May 13, 2018.
Squad Goals
The 17 goals scored by RMU against Wagner last Saturday were its most since an identical 17-6 decision over the Seahawks at home Apr. 8, 2017. Robert Morris averages 13.27 per game, second in the NEC and 11th in Division I. Kealey's 3.09 per game rank 13th in D-I, while Smith (t-5th; 2.55), Gibson (t-10th; 1.73) and Schmidt (t-10th; 1.73) have cracked the NEC's top ten.
Heggs 'N 'At
Heger was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the second straight year Mar. 1. He was one of two NEC representatives on the initial list, and one of only five goalies in Division I who made that cut. Heger averages 12.64 saves per game, the third-most in the NEC, and he enters Saturday with an all-time .568 save percentage in non-conference play. His 18 stops at Lehigh Wednesday were a season high and his second-most ever in a non-conference game.
Canadian Bakin'
RMU has three Canadians in the NEC's top ten in points per game. Smith ranks third (3.91) and NEC goals leader Kealey is tied with Gibson for fifth (3.73). The Colonials average 22.18 points per game, second in the NEC and seventh in the nation, and their 2019 roster, with 15 Canadians total, has the most in both the NEC and the NCAA. Boudreau ranks fifth on the team with 23 points, meaning four of its top five scorers hail from north of the border.
Blaze Of Glory
Gibson has a point in 32 of his last 33 games dating back to 2017. He now has 133 all-time, and his six-point effort versus Wagner (2 G, 4 A) slingshot him into sixth place in RMU history. He padded his senior resume with a nomination for the Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®) Award, one of the premier citizenship honors in D-I athletics, and his selection by the Atlanta Blaze in the 2019 Major League Lacrosse Draft.
Schmidt Show
Schmidt leads all active Colonials with 88 career goals, having entered the top ten in Robert Morris history with his hat trick at St. Joseph's Mar. 30. The co-captain passed ex-teammate
Adrian Torok-Orban '18 for eighth with his game-winner at Lehigh Wednesday. His 18th career man-up goal Apr. 6 tied him with
Luke Laszkiewicz for the third-most in RMU history.
Drawing A Blank
On Feb. 23 the Colonials shut out Bellarmine for the final 33:44. It was their longest stretch of scoreless ball since going 35:07 without yielding a goal to Cleveland State in the previous meeting between these teams. RMU had a scoreless run of 18:33 in its victory over Wagner.
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Jack Toomb, the team leader in caused turnovers, with 18, recorded the 60th of his career versus Wagner, tying
Tyler Rankel '14 and entering RMU's top five. Robert Morris, as a team, is now up to 10.36 CT's per game to lead the NEC and rank 13th in D-I through Wednesday.
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