Women's Lacrosse | 4/25/2019 11:20:00 AM

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Toting a three-game winning streak, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team will finish its 15th regular season with a two-game homestand against Northeast Conference foes.

Although RMU might not need another win to make its sixth consecutive NEC tournament, a victory over Bryant on Friday would lock it up and clinch the No. 3 seed for next week's semifinal round. The Colonials can finish no higher than second and no lower than fifth, with the top four making the tourney. (View the NEC standings here.)

Sunday's tilt against Central Connecticut will be Senior Day, as we honor Kerri Sayrafe, Sophia Eureka, Megan Yarberry, Shannon Lynch and student assistant Katelyn Welch for their contributions to the program.

THE BASICS
ROBERT MORRIS (10-4, 3-2 NEC)
vs. BRYANT (7-7, 3-2)
Friday, April 26 at 3 p.m.
Joe Walton Stadium
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (2-12, 0-5)
Sunday, April 28 at 1 p.m.
Joe Walton Stadium
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

LAST WEEK
Robert Morris put itself in the driver's seat to qualify for the postseason with two resounding road wins at Sacred Heart and LIU Brooklyn. Junior attacker Mackenzie Gandy got back to her high-scoring ways with eight goals and two assists on the weekend, including a five-goal performance in New York City. The Colonials have outscored their past three opponents by a combined score of 48-16.

HISTORY LESSON
Bryant invades Moon Township having won six of its past seven meetings against RMU, including the only postseason matchup back in 2015. Last year, the Bulldogs held off the Colonials despite a hat trick from then-junior Shannon Lynch and five points (1g, 4a) from sophomore Mackenzie Gandy. The only current Colonial to play in a win over Bryant is senior Kerri Sayrafe, who notched an assist in RMU's 2016 victory.

The Colonials have won four of their last five vs. Central Connecticut, with the only loss in that stretch happening on the road in 2016. In a 12-5 defeat of the Blue Devils last April, Lynch piled up a goal and six assists, while then-sophomores Clio Kerr and Melanie Gandy netted a pair of goals each. Two years ago at the Joe, a four-point day from Mackenzie Gandy was enough to hold off CCSU, 14-13.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH
Under first-year head coach Brianna Roche, Bryant has rebounded from a losing non-conference record to jump into third place in the NEC. Senior Jess DeMeo ranks third in the NEC with 44 goals on the year; she's sixth nationally among active players with 195 goals in her career. Juniors Caitlin Breglia (31 assists) and Maggie Presser (24) enter Friday as two of the league's top three playmakers, as well

Central Connecticut has dropped eight in a row coming into the weekend, with the closest of those losses being a 14-10 setback against LIU Brooklyn. Head coach Betsy Vendel's team has allowed 16 goals per game in NEC play, but the Blue Devils can boast five double-digit goal-scorers. Senior Carson Adelberger leads that group with 19 tallies, highlighted by a pair of five-goal games in CCSU's two wins.

TRUE FACT
With last weekend's two-game road sweep, Robert Morris has won 10 games for the fourth time in the past six seasons. The program record is 11 wins, first achieved in 2014 -- the first 10-win season in team history -- and duplicated in 2017. The Colonials also have a chance to set a team record for fewest losses; the 2014 team dropped just six all year.

SHE SAID IT
Junior attacker Mackenzie Gandy on ...

Ripping off two road wins last weekend: "I just think we took it game by game. They were two different teams with different talents, so we had to do it day by day."

How the offense often gets rolling: "We focus on each other's strengths and weaknesses. A lot of attackers like crease rolls, while a lot of middies like the high drives, so we have to know what each other's strengths are and get them the ball and let them do it."

Appreciating the chance to play with twin sister Melanie: "My freshman year, she was out for the whole season (due to injury); my sophomore year, I was out. So I'm really grateful to have a full year together so far. Hopefully we're going to finish strong."

Whether she's always been the finisher in the family: "I'd say it was the opposite in high school, where I'd be the assister and she'd be the finisher, but since we got here I feel like we switched roles."

Why her offensive production is so huge: "My teammates help me out, always. We have the assisters, but we have the people who set picks that I drive off. It's definitely a full-team sport."

Getting excited for the weekend: "Bryant is one of our biggest rivals we have, and then we want to send our seniors out with a 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 in the standings.

• Through 14 games, Robert Morris ranks fourth among its NEC sisters in scoring offense (12.1 goals per game), third in scoring defense (9.6 goals allowed) and third in scoring margin (plus-2.6).

• Junior goalie Katelyn Miller is on pace for the second-best single-season save percentage by a starter in program history. Her .506 mark through 14 games ranks ninth in Division I, second in the NEC, 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 65th in the nation with 3.85 points per game. If maintained, that rate would place Gandy third in program history; she already has RMU's ninth-best points-per-game season, 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 1.86 assists per game, good for second in the NEC and 35th in the nation. That would rank second in team history if she maintains that rate, behind only the 2.94 posted by Ashley Levering '09.

• Junior defender Kelly Colegrove is again excelling in taking the ball away, as she ranks first in the NEC (and 10th in Division I) with 2.43 caused turnovers per game, the third-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 5.21 per game. That's currently fourth-best 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)
Kerri Sayrafe (Player of Week - April 8-14)

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 NEC tournament begins next Thursday, May 2, with the single-elimination semifinal round taking place at the home field of the No. 1 seed. The NEC final will be Saturday, May 4.