PITTSBURGH, Pa.— The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team closes out the season series against Central Michigan this Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

COLONIAL WLAX PREVIEW

ROBERT MORRIS (10-2-0, 6-0 MAC)

VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN (6-5, 4-1 MAC) 

Saturday, April 24 at 12:00 p.m.

Pittsburgh, Pa.  

LIVE STATS via Sidearm

LAST TIME OUT

Robert Morris moved to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in MAC-tion last Saturday with a 18-4 win over the Akron Zips in Akron.  

An 11-0 first half put the Colonials in the drivers seat against the Zips as nine different Colonials found the back of the net in the opening 30 minutes of action.  

Mackenzie Gandy earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for her three-goal effort in the win.  

OPPOSITION RESEARCH

The MAC has been a two-horse race for much of the season, with RMU and CMU battling it out atop the standings all year. 

The Colonials handed CMU their only conference loss of the year back on March 27, a 12-7 Colonials victory that elevated RMU to their current top spot in the standings.  

CMU has been idle since their 17-7 win over Akron on April 3rd. Senior attacker Natalie Karlen leads both CMU as well as the entire MAC conference in both goals (41) and points (53). 

KNOW BOBBY MO

• Colonials are 10-2 to start the season, the best start in program history. 
• RMU improved to 6-0 and maintained first place overall in the MAC with a win against Akron last week. 
• RMU defeated CMU in their prior meeting this season, 12-7. 
• Two more victories would tie the record for most wins in a single season in RMU program history, a mark set when the Colonials finished 12-5 in 2019.  
• RMU's 23 goals scored against KSU two weeks ago week was the second highest single-game total in program history, just one behind the record of 24 set against Howard on February 28, 2015.
• Robert Morris has won its last 15 home games, a streak that dates back to February of the 2019 campaign.  
• The Colonials are 6-0 in conference play for the first time in program history as well.
• 94 of RMU's 167 goals this season have been assisted.  Melanie Gandy leads all Colonials with 26 helpers. 
• Graduate attack Mackenzie Gandy passed Ashley Levering '09 earlier this season for first place on the all-time scoring list with 180 career points. She became the program's all-time leading goal scorer earlier this season with career goal #129, and needs just seven assists to pass Levering for most all time in helpers.
• Melanie Gandy is just three assists shy of breaking the record as well, while defender Kelly Colegrove needs 10 caused turnovers to pass Colleen O'Donnell '12 for most in program history. 
• Jordan Anderson's 10 draw controls against Akron last week was the fourth straight and fifth overall game in which the sophomore has recorded double-digit draws for RMU this season. 
• Mackenzie Gandy earned OPOW honors following her hat trick against Akron, making it two wins in a row for a Colonial following sister Melanie's win the week prior. The twins join Jordan Anderson, Clio Kerr, Shea McArdle  and Kelly Colegrove who have also earned individual awards this season.  
• Several RMU freshmen have already scored their first career NCAA tallies this season. Olivia Rupert scored against Liberty while Kathleen Kelly and Isabelle Robarge netted their firsts against Gardner-Webb.  Gianna Anthony scored her first against the Zips, while Lilli Hadden scored her first two against Kent State. Mackenzie Bell and Julia Davies finally found the back of the net against KSU two weeks ago. 
• RMU was picked to finish second in the MAC in the preseason coaches' poll, earning two first-place votes. Central Michigan took the top spot with four first-place votes, with Kent State coming in third. 
• Goalie Katelyn Miller has started every game for the Colonials since arriving on campus four years ago, a remarkable streak of 71 in a row. Junior Jamie Keller has also seen significant minutes in relief this season, including playing 50 of 60 minutes vs. Butler in a ten-save performance.  
• The Colonials will boast an expanded squad in 2021 that includes six graduate students, seven total seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and twelve freshmen.  
• Robert Morris welcomes back six graduate students for their last go-around with the program, a class which includes their three top scorers in Mackenzie Gandy, Melanie Gandy and R-Sr. Clio Kerr.  Ground ball leaders Madison Burke and Kelly Colegrove also make their return, as do free-position goals leaders Thalia Zolis and Shea McArdle. 
• The Colonials will see a mix of new and familiar foes as they join the MAC in 2021. They are 5-0 all-time against Kent State, 3-0 against Akron, 3-0 all-time against Central Michigan, 1-0 against Youngstown State and 4-1 all-time against Detroit-Mercy, meeting the latter for the last time during the 2017 campaign. 
• For a full list of all-time team records and stats, click here.

SUPER SENIOR DAY

Saturday will be Super Senior Day for RMU, as the Colonials will honor the 2021 Super Senior Class of Shea McArdle, Kelly Colegrove, Thalia Zolis, Madison Burke, Melanie Gandy, Mackenzie Gandy, Katelyn Miller, Clio Kerr and Meghan Crouse in a special post game ceremony.  

THE SILVA FILE

Entering her fourth season at the helm of the Colonials, Katrina Silva brings 14 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 and 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.