Fort Mill, S.C. – Robert Morris University men's lacrosse graduate student Jimmy Perkins completed a hat trick with 3:36 remaining and his third tally proved to be the deciding goal as the Colonials inched past Jacksonville, 16-15, this afternoon in the Crown Lacrosse Classic held from Bob Jones Stadium at Fort Mill High School. RMU snaps a two-game losing streak and moves to 4-5 overall, while the Dolphins fall to 5-4.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Similar to last week's loss at Drexel, RMU started slow before swinging the momentum in its favor in the second quarter. The Colonials made up a 4-1 deficit with nine of the next 13 goals, before watching Jacksonville storm back with four unanswered tallies to make it 13-10 in the third frame. Ryan Smith stopped the bleeding with 2:42 left in the stanza, then James Leary ripped the net 24 seconds later to bring RMU within one. Smith's fifth goal of the afternoon continued the run to start the fourth quarter, and Jimmy Perkins put the Colonials ahead with his 100th collegiate goal. With 5:17 remaining, Smith scored his season-high sixth tally to make it 15-13.
ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY
Graduate attack Ryan Smith recorded seven points (6g, 1a) this afternoon, bringing him even with Trevor Moore (2008-11) for the program all-time points record. Smith and Moore both have 195 points at the top of the leaderboard, with Smith's coming on 127 goals and 68 assists. The Burlington, Ontario native has eight hat tricks in nine games this season, which moves both his per-game averages of goals (3.67) and points (5.44) to the top of the single-season record books. He also now ranks second in career goals (127), third in games played (65), and fourth in assists (68) and games started (55).
HOLD ON, BE STRONG
Jacksonville clawed back following Smith's sixth goal, scoring twice within 39 seconds to knot the game at 15-15 with 3:59 remaining. A turnover put the ball back in the Colonials' sticks after Jacksonville won the faceoff, and they took advantage of the mistake when Smith set up Perkins for the go-ahead score. The Dolphins kept it a one-goal game with a save in the final minute, then carried the ball into their offensive end before calling a timeout. RMU held strong however, forcing a turnover to seal the victory.
JIMBO SLICE
With a hat trick this afternoon, graduate attack Jimmy Perkins reached the century mark for career goals. Perkins has scored 59 of his 101 career tallies over 43 games in a RMU uniform, and netted 42 in an 18-game stint with Utah between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The Senior CLASS Award nominee recorded his fourth hat trick of the year in the win, and ranks second on the team in goals (21), assists (14), and points (35).
ROAD TRIPPIN'
RMU's four-game road swing its second this year, and both instances mark the first time that has happened in a regular season since 2008 when it traveled to Penn State, Manhattan, Wagner, and Bellarmine from Feb. 16 to March 1. The Colonials also played four straight games away from Moon Township to close the 2018 campaign with two each in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and NCAA Tournaments. As an independent this season, RMU is slated to play nine true road contests and 10 of its 12 games away from Joe Walton Stadium.
NEXT UP
The Colonials return home to Joe Walton Stadium on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. when they host Cleveland State. RMU plans to recognize the careers of Michael Autry, Alex Cash, Jimmy Perkins, Austin Popovich, James Scane, Ryan Smith, Will Sturgis, Kyle Vince, and Shaun Vines as part of Senior Day festivities.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Gameday App
