FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- With a diverse offense and a smothering defense, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team started its second Northeast Conference road trip in convincing fashion, taking down Sacred Heart by a 15-3 score Thursday afternoon at Campus Field.

In earning its second consecutive league win, RMU (9-4, 2-2 NEC) kept itself firmly in the chase for a top-four finish in the league and an NEC tournament berth.

The Colonials have three games remaining in the regular season, with Saturday's matchup at LIU Brooklyn serving as the next step in the push for the postseason. RMU has made the NEC tourney five straight seasons.

"It's promising to see everyone working together on the offensive side and the defensive side," junior defender Kelly Colegrove said." Knowing that every player in the offensive box can make a great play and work well with each other is awesome to see as we keep moving forward in conference play."

For now, though, Robert Morris can savor an enjoyable day at the office. With juniors Clio Kerr and Mackenzie Gandy leading the way with three goals each, eight Colonials scored at least a goal and nine picked up at least a point.

But much like last Friday's 18-goal outburst against Saint Francis, the Colonials' defending fueled the attack well; RMU forced 17 of Sacred Heart's 25 turnovers, with many of those leading directly to goals.

"We wanted to play fast and put pressure on them," head coach Katrina Silva said. "Our players stepped up in the ride and gave us an opportunity to create offense. That pressure was stifling, and you find great goals that way."

The 12-goal margin of victory is the largest for RMU on the road since the 2015 season, when the Colonials downed Howard 20-5 in a non-conference game. As for NEC games, the last time the Colonials won by this many away from home was April 8, 2011, 14-1 at Wagner. Also, RMU hadn't held an opponent to three goals since defeating Mount St. Mary's 8-3 on April 27, 2014.

"We played really well together as a unit," said Colegrove, who led the team with five caused turnovers and added four ground balls. "I think our ride was very successful in creating a lot of turnovers and taking time off of the shot clock. In the defensive box, we communicated with each other really well."



The game tilted RMU's way 90 seconds in, with junior Meghan Crouse taking a pass from senior Kerri Sayrafe and scoring her first of two on the day. It set the tone for an afternoon in which the Colonials would score 15 times on 28 shots, with Sayrafe, Sophia Eureka and Melanie Gandy each recording multiple points. 

Robert Morris scored in all forms and fashions, from transitions to fast breaks to slow breaks to free-position shots, on which they shot 3 for 9. Six of the Colonials' goals were assisted, but that only told part of the story of the team's effective ball movement.

"When we're jelling and showing love to each other, everybody's a threat to score," Silva said. "They're a demonstration of how the team cares for each other."

Junior goalie Katelyn Miller wasn't tested often, but she came up with a couple of point-blank saves to keep Sacred Heart (2-11, 1-3 NEC) from building any kind of momentum. The Colonials rushed to a 6-0 lead midway through the first half and led 9-1 at the intermission, with the only Pioneers goal going in as a result of an RMU mishandle.

In addition to Colegrove's huge individual effort on the back end, classmate Thalia Zolis excelled in the midfield with four caused turnovers and four ground balls. Senior attacker Shannon Lynch picked up a team-best five grounders in addition to notching a goal and an assist.

"We played really great defense," Silva said. "It's exciting."

Silva noted that RMU could still afford to take better care of the ball while playing fast, since 12 of the Colonials' 23 turnovers were unforced. Still, she found many more positives than negatives after this one.

With LIU Brooklyn (6-8, 3-1) also winning Thursday over Saint Francis, that sets up what could be a pivotal matchup Saturday. First draw in New York is set for 11 a.m., with the winner putting itself in good position to make the NEC tourney with only one week of league play remaining.