MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The
Robert Morris University women's soccer team hung in well Sunday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex, but an unfortunate bounce helped visiting Bryant claim a 1-0 decision.
With 40 minutes gone in this Northeast Conference matchup, Bryant's Becca Michaud bolted down the right flank and crossed a ball into the mixer. With multiple Colonials converging to try to protect the goal, the cross bounced off at least one of them and trickled behind junior keeper
Sydney Bruckner.
Head coach
John Kowalski noted this was the second time a hard-luck bounce cost his Colonials (3-6-1, 1-1-0 NEC) in such a way this season; a 1-0 loss at Akron two weeks ago played out in similar fashion.
"A little bit of a miscommunication and a deflection," Kowalski said. "Besides that, I thought we played even."
The statistics bear out his analysis, with possession split 50-50 and the Colonials outshooting Bryant 17-14. But once freshman
Kayla Veloso-Lima's hopeful volley went wide with 10 minutes to go in the game, RMU had trouble generating anything more.
The Colonials did manage to put eight shots on frame, but Bryant keeper Meghan Dalton wasn't truly tested. Most of RMU's attempts boiled down to long-range bids and half-chances around the box with little opportunity for follow-ups.
"That's what we were talking about at halftime," Kowalski said. "We have to be more insistent to get more numbers into the box."
It wasn't all bad news in RMU's lone match of the weekend. Bruckner's six-save effort -- which included a denied penalty kick in the 49th minute -- lifted her season save percentage to .859.
That's on pace to be the third-highest single-season mark in team history. Bruckner's senior teammate
Julia Schmid set the record last year with an .873.
After splitting their first two conference games at home, the Colonials will travel east next weekend to face Wagner and Long Island on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
"They're going to be working very hard in the midfield," Kowalski said of the upcoming opponents. "We'll have to mark up well to deal with their scrappiness."
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