Hamilton, N.Y. – An eight-goal blitz between the second and third quarters helped the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team pick up its first win of the season, as the Colonials defeated Colgate, 17-14, this afternoon from Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium. RMU moves to 1-2 with the victory, while the Raiders fall to 0-1.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Colgate jumped out to a 7-4 lead over the opening 24 minutes, but that's when the Colonials offense would awaken. Taggart Clark started off an 8-0 run with his first goal of the season off a Jimmy Perkins assist, then Ryan Smith scored an unassisted natural hat trick with tallies at 4:54, 2:46, and 1:55 of the second quarter to put RMU in front, 8-7. Josh Schreibeis and James Leary would cause turnovers on the Raiders' next two possessions, then Perkins found Dan Taddeo for a goal with 13 ticks remaining in the half to make it 9-7. Austin Popovich, Ben Starkey, and Perkins all got on the board to begin the second 30 minutes, giving the visitors eight unanswered goals and a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
CLIMB THE BOARD
Graduate attack Ryan Smith continued his climb up the RMU record books after pacing the team with five goals. Smith tied Tyson Gibson (161; 2016-19) for fifth place in career points, and moved to third in points per game (2.73) by leaping over Kiel Matisz (2.72; 2009-12). The Burlington, Ontario native is seven points away from moving into sole possession of second in career points, and ranks fourth in career goals (106) and fifth in career assists (55).
AT THE X
Fourth-year faceoff specialist Michael Autry was superb at the X, winning a career-high 20 faceoffs in 33 attempts. Autry's 20 faceoff wins are tied for the second most in RMU single-game history, matching Mike Grosz's total against Bellarmine on March 21, 2010. Grosz also owns the program record, winning 28 on March 3, 2012 in the Colonials' previous meeting with Colgate.
JOIN THE CLUB
Senior attack Corson Kealey registered four points this afternoon, and in the process became the 16th different Colonial to record 100 career points. Kealey posted his 12th career hat trick with three goals, adding an assist to push his career total to 102. He now is 10 goals away from breaking into the top 10 all-time at RMU, and also currently slots fourth in goals per game (1.88) and eighth in points per game (2.49).
SET IT UP
Senior midfielder Jake Boudreau matched his single-game high for assists, dishing out four to lead the team. Boudreau netted a helper two of Kealey's tallies, a man-up goal for Smith to make it 15-9, and Perkins' second of the contest with 4:56 remaining in the contest. The Brampton, Ontario product previously recorded four assists on March 30, 2019 at Saint Joseph's, and currently has nine points (4g, 5a) on the season.
STILL GOT IT
Seventh-year attack Jimmy Perkins achieved a new career high in his 56th appearance by scooping eight groundballs, which matched Boudreau for the team lead. His previous best in a RMU uniform was four, which was accomplished four times with the most recent instance being on May 13, 2018 in the NCAA Tournament at No. 1 Maryland. Perkins also provided two goals and three assists offensively, and now is 11 points shy of recording 100 points with the Colonials.
COLONIAL FIRSTS
Sophomore midfielders Torin Neal and Ben Starkey scored the first goals of their collegiate careers this afternoon. Neal, playing in his fifth game, ripped the net with 45 seconds left in the first quarter to bring RMU within one at 4-3. Starkey's tally was in his seventh appearance, and part of the Colonials' aforementioned 8-0 run that turned a 7-4 deficit into a 12-7 lead.
HIGH HONORS
Senior goalkeeper Ben Savick made 14 saves in 58:49 to earn the victory, while Smith and sophomore long-stick midfielder James Leary shared the team lead in caused turnovers with two apiece. Colgate's Mike Hawkins led all players with seven points (4g, 3a), and Sean Collins made 17 saves in the cage for the hosts.
NEXT UP
RMU continues its season-opening road swing on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Notre Dame. The Colonials and Fighting Irish have played once in their histories, a 15-5 win for Notre Dame on April 12, 2014. Opening faceoff is set for 4:00 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
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