Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse program, under the direction of 10th-year head coach Andrew McMinn, has announced a 12-game schedule for the 2021 season. The slate features nine road matchups and one neutral-site match in Rock Hill, S.C., as well as a pair of home contests at Joe Walton Stadium.
Playing as an independent, RMU's schedule features five games against members of the Southern Conference (SoCon), three versus Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams, two clashes with fellow independents, and one each against the Ivy League and Patriot League. Four of the teams are brand new opponents to the Colonials, while five opponents are holdovers from the 2019 or 2020 schedules.
LINK: 2021 Men's Lacrosse Schedule
Following a tune-up against Division II Seton Hill on Monday, Feb. 1, RMU kicks off the 2021 season when it travels to Duke on Sunday, Feb. 7. That starts a three-game road swing with trips to High Point on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Bucknell on Saturday, Feb. 20, then the Colonials return to Moon Township for their home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 23 against Bellarmine.
RMU returns to the road on Saturday, Feb. 27 for its second-ever meeting with Notre Dame, followed by trips to Air Force on Saturday, March 13 and Virginia on Saturday, March 20. The Colonials will then face off with Jacksonville on a neutral field for the second consecutive season, playing in Rock Hill, S.C. at Manchester Meadows Stadium on Saturday, April 3.
After the home finale on Saturday, April 10 against Cleveland State, RMU finishes the slate with another three-game road swing beginning on Saturday, April 17 at Cornell. The Colonials then travel to Richmond on Saturday, April 24 before completing the regular season at Utah on Saturday, May 1. The Big Red, Spiders, and Utes are all first-time opponents.
RELATED: 2021 Men's Lacrosse Opponent Breakdown
RMU went 4-2 in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, finishing with three straight wins over High Point, Detroit Mercy, and Marquette. The Colonials welcome back their five leading point-getters, top 10 players in caused turnovers, and all four goalkeepers from last spring. Last year, RMU was selected as the preseason favorite in the Northeast Conference (NEC) West Division following back-to-back NCAA Tournament qualifications in 2018 and 2019.
Amongst the Colonial returnees are fifth-year players Ryan Smith and Austin Popovich, who – along with midfielder James Scane – took advantage of the NCAA waiver granting 2020 spring student-athletes an extra year of eligibility. The duo were both named Scholar All-Americans by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and paced the team in points with 28 for Smith (17g, 11a) and 27 for Popovich (18g, 9a). Smith, the program's only NEC Rookie of the Year and three-time all-league selection, ranks sixth all-time at RMU in goals (94), assists (52), and points (146).
The Colonials also welcome back to the program graduate transfer Jimmy Perkins, who played at RMU from 2015-18 and is one of two seventh-year players in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse. Perkins recorded 52 points (42g, 10a) in two seasons at the University of Utah, and ranks third in program history in assists per game (1.21). As a redshirt junior in 2018, he made the All-NEC Second Team after collecting 30 assists and 61 points – marks that rank second and fifth, respectively, in school single-season annals.
In total, McMinn's 2021 squad features five graduate students, nine seniors, 12 juniors, 11 sophomores, and eight freshmen. The Colonials have 14 different returners who started at least one game last season, and 17 that recorded a point.
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