COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team opens its 16th season of NCAA Division I competition Sunday afternoon against Big Ten foe Ohio State University at 1 p.m.  It marks the first of nine con-conference games the Colonials will play this season, four of which will be on the road.

Coming off their winningest regular-season in program history and their sixth straight trip to the NEC Tournament, the Colonials return 21 players from last season's squad that entered the postseason as the #3 overall seed as they search for their first conference title in program history.

Mackenzie Gandy and Melanie Gandy return for their senior year after a productive junior season that saw them post 70 and 58-point seasons respectively.  Meanwhile, goalkeeper Katelyn Miller looks to build off of a standout performance last year that saw her post the second-best save-percentage in program history at .466.

Also returning in a strong senior class are Kelly Colegrove and Madison Burke, both of whom were All-NEC honorees a year ago.

The veteran presence is rounded out by midfielders Clio Kerr, Meghan Crouse and Thalia Zolis, all trusted contributors in their three previous seasons of D-I action, as was defender Shea McArdle. 

COLONIAL WLAX PREVIEW

ROBERT MORRIS (0-0-0, 0-0 NEC)

At OHIO STATE (0-0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Sunday, February 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

LIVE STREAM ($) via BTN+

LIVE STATS via Sidearm

LAST TIME OUT

Entering the 2019 NEC Tournament as the #3 overall seed, RMU lost a hard-fought battle against eventual tournament champ Wagner, 14-13.  Mackenzie Gandy recorded four goals and two assists, while Melanie Gandy posted five points with a goal and four helpers as RMU ended its season at 12-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

HISTORY LESSON

The Colonials are 6-9 all-time in season openers, including a 3-4 mark when they start on the road. Last year's team defeated Kent State 11-6 in KSU's first game in program history to kick off the 2019 campaign.

OPPOSITION RESEARCH

The Buckeyes finished above .500 last season at 9-8 overall, however a paltry 1-5 mark in Big Ten play kept them out of the Big Ten Tournament last April.  OSU opens its season Friday evening against fellow Pittsburgh rival Duquesne in Columbus.  Head coach Amy Bokker's squad features 12 true freshman as well as a nine-girl senior class.

KNOW BOBBY MO

• RMU was picked to finish third in the NEC in the preseason coaches' poll, with Wagner (first) and Mount St. Mary's (second) rounded out the top three projected standings.
• Goalie Miller has started every game for the Colonials since arriving on campus three years ago, a remarkable streak of 53 in a row. She has the best goals-against average (10.18) in the 15-year history of the program and the second-best save percentage (.465). Miller is one win shy of Kaitlin Pentz '14 for the most ever by an RMU goalkeeper.
• Miller and Mackenzie Gandy will both serve as team captains for RMU this season after being chosen by their teammates in the offseason.
• Robert Morris returns ten players who played in all 17 games last season, including three (Kerr, Colegrove, and Miller) who started all 17.
• The nine-member senior class is the largest cohort on the team. This group has participated in 32 wins so far at RMU and has never had a losing season.
• The Gandy sisters both rank among the all-time leading scorers in RMU history. Melanie currently sits 14th all-time with 105 points, while Mackenzie is just 39 away from breaking the all-time record of 179 set by Ashley Levering '09.
• Clio Kerr currently ranks second all-time in draw controls per game at 3.42. Her seven career man-up goals ranks third all-time.
• RMU has been formidable at Joe Walton Stadium in recent memory, owning a dominant 18-5 overall record at home dating back to the 2017 campaign.
• For a full list of all-time team records and stats, click here.

THE SILVA FILE

Entering her third season at the helm of the Colonials, Katrina Silva brings 13 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.

Silva will be joined by the returning Cacki Helmer as well as first-year assistant coach Chelsea Rosiek. 

FOLLOW THE COLONIALS

In addition to reports and videos on RMUColonials.com, check out Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season.