USAFA, Colo. – An eight-goal flurry in the second quarter helped lift the Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team to a victory in a future ASUN Conference matchup, as the Colonials defeated Air Force, 14-13, this afternoon from a snowy Cadet Lacrosse Stadium. RMU moves to 3-3 on the year and take a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with the win, while Air Force drops to 1-4.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU and Air Force took some time adjusting to the elements, with the game originally moved from outdoors to indoors, only to return to the Rocky Mountain air that morning. Carrying a 3-2 lead into the second quarter, the Colonials exploded for eight goals over the frame, including a stretch of five unanswered goals that pushed their lead from 4-3 to 9-3. Jimmy Perkins started the rally with his second goal of the day, then Corson Kealey cashed in on a James Leary fastbreak feed to make it 6-3. Less than a minute later, Ryan Smith netted his second off a pass from Taggart Clark, then 54 seconds after an Alex Funk man-up tally, Smith completed his hat trick with 3:38 left in the half.
LIAM IN NET
Despite being outshot for the day, 49-35, RMU held onto its first-half advantage thanks in part to the play of sophomore goalkeeper Liam Rosenthal. Making his second consecutive start, Rosenthal made a career-high 17 saves and posted a .567 save percentage. The Doylestown, Pa. native has posted a .500 save percentage or better in each of the last three games, recording 41 saves against 30 goals allowed over that stretch.
HOLD ON, BE STRONG
The Colonial advantage reached 14-6 following a Will Johansen goal with 10:28 remaining in the third quarter. That would be the last goal for the visitors, however, as Air Force made it 14-8 at the end of the frame and pulled within two with 8:35 left in regulation. The RMU defense tightened from there, using a pair of Rosenthal saves and caused turnovers by Leary, Smith, and Evan Hellmich to keep the gap at two, and the Falcons could only muster a Matthew O'Rourk consolation goal at the horn to set the final at 14-13.
JIMBO SLICE
Judging by his last two seasons at Utah and today's performance at Air Force, you can say graduate attack Jimmy Perkins is pretty used to the shift in elevation. The Steel City product led the Colonials offensively with six points, tallying four goals and a pair of assists. He netted two goals in succession at the end of the first half, first ripping the net with 28 seconds on the clock before scoring a highlight-reel diving tally 24 seconds later. Perkins is approaching 100 points in a RMU uniform, needing just one more (51g, 48a) to become the 17th player in program history to reach the milestone.
SMITHERS STRIKES AGAIN
Graduate attack Ryan Smith registered his fifth hat trick of the season this afternoon, providing three goals and a pair of assists. The Burlington, Ontario native scored each of his three tallies in the first half, then set up Corson Kealey and Johansen on consecutive tallies to push the Colonial advantage to 14-6. Fresh off being named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List earlier in the week, Smith now has 180 career points (115g, 65), bringing him 15 shy of Trevor Moore's record of 195, which was established from 2008-11.
LET IT SNOW
Seven different Colonials found themselves on the scoresheet and 10 in total registered a point. Austin Popovich (2g, 1a), Corson Kealey (2g), and Dan Taddeo (2a) all recorded multiple points, while Ben Starkey, Alex Funk, and Will Johansen all provided a goal. Taggart Clark added an assist for RMU, as did James Leary for his first collegiate point.
HIGH HONORS
Senior midfielder Jake Boudreau didn't factor into the Colonials scoring, but he scooped up a game-high seven groundballs – one off his single-game best set earlier this season at Colgate. Smith and Shaun Vines both caused a pair of turnovers for the visitors, and freshman Steven DelleMonache finished 7-of-13 at the faceoff X. On the other side, five different Falcons scored two goals each, with Quincy Peene's four-point day leading the way.
NEXT UP
RMU remains on the road next Saturday, March 20 when it travels to Virginia for a 3:00 p.m. opening faceoff. The Colonials and Cavaliers last met in the 2019 NCAA Tournament First Round, and also clashed in Charlottesville in 2010 and 2017. This year's contest can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Gameday App
