Men's Lacrosse | 4/9/2019 6:49:00 PM
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The
Robert Morris men's lacrosse team plays the first of two non-conference games this week, rounding out its 2019 non-conference schedule, when it visits the No. 17 Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University Wednesday. The opening faceoff from the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. EDT and can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.
Robert Morris (3-7, 2-2) at #17/17 Lehigh (7-4, 5-1)
Apr. 10 (5:00 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
The Colonials are coming off a 17-6 win over Northeast Conference rival Wagner at Joe Walton Stadium last Saturday. RMU went on an 8-0 run through the third quarter, allowing just one second-half goal and a season-low six altogether, to pull itself back into the NEC playoff hunt with two conference games remaining.
Robert Morris continues its traditionally challenging non-conference slate with its first-ever meeting with the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh is the fourth top-20 squad RMU has faced out of conference this season, and all on the road, as the Colonials seek their second win over a Patriot League foe in five all-time attempts.
They have not matched up with a team from that conference since visiting No. 20 Bucknell Mar. 20, 2012, and their lone victory over a Patriot League foe was a 7-5 upset of the No. 17/18 Bison at Mount Lebanon Stadium in Pittsburgh Mar. 22, 2011. With 6:40 left in the fourth quarter, eventual career goals leader Trevor Moore scored the game-winner, assisted by future RMU Athletics Hall-of-Famer Kiel Matisz, en route to the team's first win ever over a nationally ranked opponent.
SCOUTING LEHIGH
On Saturday No. 14/15 Lehigh fell into an early hole at No. 2 Loyola (Md.), which proved costly in its first defeat since February, a 15-9 final that snapped a six-game winning streak. Despite outscoring the Greyhounds 9-6 over the game's final 40:09, the Mountain Hawks fell to 3-3 against ranked opponents this season.
Sophomore Teddy Leggett helped lead Lehigh's defense, tallying seven ground balls and four caused turnovers to tie career highs in both categories, while freshman Tommy Schelling recorded his first career CT. Schelling also dished a career-high three assists, and junior Ryan Klose scored a career-high two goals, including a man-up tally. Lehigh has recorded an extra-man goal in four straight games, this coming on the heels of three consecutive games without a man-up score.
The Mountain Hawks, now half a game behind Loyola for the top spot in the Patriot League, have been of the most consistent teams in Division I, earning double-digit wins in four of their last seven years after enjoying only four such seasons in the first 112 years of program history. This marks their first meeting with a Northeast Conference team since a 9-6 victory over Sacred Heart Apr. 3, 2010, the same year Robert Morris played a partial NEC schedule as a charter member of the league for lacrosse.
MUSKET SHOTS
Prime Time
Corson Kealey and
Alex Heger were named Week 9 NEC Prime Performers after taking NEC Player and Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively, in Week 8. Kealey tied for the conference lead in goals with 31, and did so in one fewer game than Joe Saggese (Sacred Heart), thanks to his six tallies versus Wagner Saturday. Heger co-led his team with four ground balls and made 14 saves in 54:54, posting a season-best .700 save percentage, and his assist on
Ryan Smith's second goal of the day was his second helper in as many home games.
Climbing The Apple Tree
The Colonials are now up to fourth in the NCAA with their average of 9.00 assists per game.
Tyson Gibson, one of three Colonials (Smith,
Jake Boudreau) in the NEC's top ten individually, is now second in the conference and 17th in the country with his 2.20 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 19 of the past 20 games dating back to last year. The double hat trick by Kealey versus Wagner Saturday 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 leads Robert Morris with seven hat tricks in 2019, and he has recorded six over his past five games, including four in as many outings against the NEC.
An EMO Band
The Colonials are riding a streak of eight goals in as many extra-man opportunities entering Wednesday after scoring on consecutive chances versus Wagner.
Matt Schmidt leads Robert Morris with five EMO markers this year, two off the Division I pace, and RMU leads the NEC with its .593 conversion rate in man-up situations, also ranking second in the NCAA.
Squad Goals
The 17 goals scored by RMU against Wagner Saturday were its most since an identical 17-6 decision over the Seahawks at Joe Walton Stadium Apr. 8, 2017. Robert Morris is averaging 13.30 goals per game, second in the NEC and tenth in Division I. Kealey's 3.10 per game rank 13th in D-I, while Smith (7th; 2.40) and Gibson (10th; 1.80) 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 is averaging 12.10 saves per game, third-most in the NEC, and he enters Wednesday with an all-time .551 save percentage in non-conference games. His 19 stops at Virginia Apr. 11, 2017 are his most out of conference in regular-season play.
Canadian Bakin'
RMU has three Canadians in the NEC's top ten in points per game. Gibson is tied for second (4.00), Smith ranks fifth (3.80) and Kealey seventh (3.70). The Colonials average 22.30 points per game, good for second in the NEC and sixth nationally, and their 2019 roster, with 15 Canadians total, has the most in both the NEC and the NCAA. Boudreau is tied for fourth on the team with 22 points, meaning four of its top five scorers hail from north of the border.
Blaze Of Glory
Gibson has a point in 31 of his last 32 games dating back to 2017. He now has 132 all-time, and his six-point effort Saturday (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.
Arnold's Market
Trey Arnold has taken 884 career faceoffs for the Colonials, the fifth-most among active NCAA Division I FOGOs. He collected three ground balls against the Seahawks Saturday to give him 158 for his career and put him into the program's top five. Arnold, while going 11-for-17 (.647) from the X, also became just the third Colonial to 400 faceoff wins all-time.
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Jack Toomb, the team leader in caused turnovers, with 17, was credited with 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 9.90 CT's per game, good for second in the NEC and 14th in the NCAA.
Schmidt Show
Schmidt leads all active Colonials with 86 career goals, having moved into ninth in Robert Morris history with his hat trick at St. Joseph's Mar. 30. The co-captain needs just one more to equal ex-teammate
Adrian Torok-Orban '18 for eighth in team lore. His 18th career man-up goal Saturday tied Schmidt with
Luke Laszkiewicz for the third-most in RMU history.
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