EMMITSBURG, Md. -- This time felt different for the
Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team.
Yes, the final result Thursday afternoon on the campus of Mount St. Mary's was painfully familiar: A Northeast Conference semifinal loss to Wagner for the fourth straight season.
But both the final score, 14-13, and the way the Colonials arrived at it provides substantial optimism for this program as it moves forward from its first 15 seasons.
"We approached the game like it was anyone's game," said head coach Katrina Silva, who wrapped up her second season in charge. "The regular season is nice, but we changed our style during the year. So we were excited to play Wagner with the style we were playing and I think it showed. We really left it on the field."
The stylistic adjustment Silva refers to came after the Colonials (12-5) dropped a pair of road games to Wagner and regular-season NEC champion Mount St. Mary's in early April. RMU significantly picked up its tempo after that, winning its final five games to enter the postseason on a high.Â
The Colonials may have fallen a couple goals short of their first-ever postseason victory, but it wasn't because they were stifled by the Seahawks. RMU's 13 goals set a new program best for a playoff game, with junior attacker Mackenzie Gandy's six points (4g, 2a) pacing the offense, while twin sister Melanie Gandy poured on a goal and four assists.Â
On top of that, senior sharpshooters Kerri Sayrafe and Shannon Lynch completed their college careers in style, with each netting a hat trick. Junior midfielder Meghan Crouse notched two goals as well, as veterans rose to the forefront of the attack in the biggest game of the season.
On several occasions, the Colonials' attackers appeared flat-out quicker than the Seahawks, especially when cutting to the goal to receive passes.
"This was the best postseason I've had in my four years here," said Sayrafe, who finished her career with 82 goals and 99 total points in a program-record 69 games played. "We came into it saying, 'We've got nothing to lose. We've been here before. Let's give it our all.' I think that's what we did."
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The Colonials could've been excused for letting up after a rough start that saw Wagner (14-3) sprint to a 3-0 lead after three minutes. A quick timeout produced a hasty turnaround, though, with RMU scoring five goals in a row -- two each from Lynch and
Mackenzie Gandy -- to take control.
The Colonials would lead by as much as three before carrying an 8-7 advantage into the half, the first time they've led at the break in seven all-time NEC tournament games.
"I just think we have a lot of postseason experience, which is great," Silva said, nodding toward RMU's six consecutive NEC tournament appearances. "We've been coming here a long time."
Wagner, which has now made seven consecutive NEC championship games, responded with a stronger second half. The Seahawks took advantage of a few RMU miscues and missed opportunities to take a 13-10 lead with 11 minutes to go.
The Colonials' deficit was 14-11 with 6 1/2 to play, but again the women in blue responded on goals from Crouse and
Mackenzie Gandy. The latter of those -- Gandy's 47th goal and 70th point of a remarkable junior year -- set up one final draw with 1:13 on the clock. Crouse lifted the ball nearly straight up, but Wagner came down with it and ran out the clock.
There were tears and what-ifs after, but the Colonials' spirited pushback was on the tip of their coach's tongue afterward.
"When you end the season, everyone cries, but you could see it today they didn't want to let go of today," Silva said from the turf of Waldron Family Stadium. "They didn't want to let go of their seniors. It's special. When you're around it and you feel it, you know it. We just ran out of time today. We played a great game."
In addition to the impressive offensive output, there were other signs this was a different Robert Morris team than in postseasons past.
The Colonials battled for loose balls in lively fashion, got sticks in the way to weaken Wagner free-position shots, and interrupted six Seahawks clear attempts. The game was quite literally up for grabs, with Wagner's 28-12 ground ball advantage likely providing the difference.
Junior goalie
Katelyn Miller capped a strong season in representative fashion, too. She denied 12 of 26 shots on goal, including a 5-for-6 performance on free-position shots in the first half.Â
With Miller, the Gandys, Crouse,
Clio Kerr (eight draw controls),
Kelly Colegrove (three caused turnovers) andÂ
Madison Burke (three ground balls), the juniors showed out on the season's final day, providing more hope for where this program can go.
Mackenzie Gandy's goal and point totals put her second in team history for a single season. Melanie's 32 assists this season go down as the second most for a Colonial ever. And Colegrove's 46 caused turnovers rank second on RMU's single-season record list and in the top 10 nationwide.
At the same time, the senior class of Sayrafe, Lynch,
Sophia Eureka,
Megan Yarberry and
Katelyn Welch will carry this year's team-record 12 wins as an enduring part of their collective legacy.
"The senior class is something special," Sayrafe said. "I'm going to miss playing with them and the entire team. In the end it's just sad, but we're going to keep our heads up. Hopefully next year's team can do it.Â
"They've just got to keep pushing forward. Take the lessons that we learned in this game and use it (going) forward."
For Silva, who's been a part of the RMU coaching staff throughout this six-year run of NEC contention, there's enough perspective to counteract some of the day's disappointment. Just not all of it.
"There's so many great leaders in the past that have gotten us to this point," Silva said. "You think of just recent history:
Dana Davis ('18),
Jessica Karwacki ('16) ... we had pieces all the time, but the role players played as big pieces on this team.
"So you grow. You grow as a player. You grow as a coach. You grow as a team. When all that comes together at the same time, it's just hard to let it go."
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