PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris women's lacrosse team earned its first win of the season Wednesday, taking down the visiting Detroit Mercy Titans 17-9 in their MAC opener. The win moves RMU to 1-2 on the year and 1-0 in MAC play.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A decisive 5-1 first quarter for RMU forced the Titans into playing catchup for the entire game, with RMU grabbing a 1-0 lead off of a Kelsey Nelson goal 3:12 off the opening draw and holding it the entire game. A player up goal from Gianna Anthony and Jenna Irwin's first of the afternoon pushed it to 3-0 before Detroit Mercy got one back at 3-1, however tallies from Jerica Obee and Bailey Christianson pushed it to a four-goal cushion for the Colonials before the opening 15 minutes were up. A 3-0 run to start the second with another goal from Obee as well as a pair from Julia Koterwas blew the game wide open at 8-1 for RMU.
GOALS GALORE
Five separate Colonials enjoyed multi-goal performances in the win over the Titans, led by freshman Jenna Irwin who potted a new season high of five on the day. The Liverpool, N.Y. native got on the board less than five minutes into the action and would find the back of the net four more times before the day was out, including going a perfect 2-2 on free-position attempts. Julia Koterwas recorded her second career hat trick as well, while Anthony, Obee and Christianson each finished with a pair. Freshman Maggie Boyle also scored her first collegiate goal in her NCAA debut for Robert Morris.
SUPER STOPPERS
RMU's goaltending duo of senior Jamie Keller and freshman Sydney Riker were solid between the posts for the Colonials, backstopping Robert Morris with a combined 10 saves on the afternoon. Keller earned her first career win by making the start and three stops in the first half, while Riker impressed in her collegiate debut with seven saves and just four goals against in over the final 30 minutes.
SET IT UP
The Colonials finished the day with seven assisted goals, a new season high for the still young 2022 campaign. Six different players managed a helper with Jerica Obee leading the way with two. The Colonials also enjoyed a relatively efficient day in 6th midfield, going 20-26 on clears while forcing the Titans into 25 turnovers.
QUOTABLES
"I thought we were much better today than last Saturday. We were way more organized, everyone was dialed in and focused, and we used a lot of people today which was great. Our transition game was finally what we expected it to be the first two weeks of the year, we were missing some gaps last Saturday that we were hitting on all cylinders today which was great to see." - Head Coach Katrina Silva
NEXT UP
The Colonials hit the road for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Bucknell Bison on Saturday, February 26 at noon.
