Sparks, Md. – The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team couldn't overcome a slow start this afternoon in a neutral-site contest against Jacksonville, ultimately falling to the Dolphins, 15-8, at U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters.
Robert Morris (1-1, 0-0 NEC) fell behind 7-1 after the first quarter and never recovered, despite outshooting Jacksonville (2-1, 0-0 SoCon), 49-41, for the game. The Colonials were just 18-of-25 on clear attempts after finishing with a perfect mark at Canisius, and turned the ball over 15 times offensively.
Ryan Smith led the way with a three-point afternoon, tallying two goals and an assist. Austin Popovich also recorded a pair of goals, while Brad McCulley, Jake Boudreau, Dan Taddeo, and Eli Doyle also ripped the net for RMU in the defeat.
Doyle's tally with 4:40 remaining in the contest was the first of his Colonial career. The junior netted a total of 73 goals in two seasons at Harford Community College before transferring to RMU.
Shaun Vines, a teammate of Doyle's at Harford, caused three turnovers and scooped up four groundballs defensively. Ben Savick made 15 saves in the loss.
Robert Morris concludes a three-game season-opening road swing on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 4:00 p.m. when it travels across the Keystone State to play Drexel.
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