PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris women's lacrosse team gets back into action this week with a pair of games at Kent State and Liberty.
GAME #5
Robert Morris (1-3) at Kent State (2-3)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
4:00 p.m. | Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
TV: Streaming| Live Stats
GAME #6
Robert Morris (1-3) at Liberty (1-2)
Saturday, March 5, 2022
1:00 p.m. | Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Lacrosse Field
Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
Robert Morris earned its first win of the season as they split the weekend at 1-1, taking down Detroit Mercy in their MAC opener 17-9 at Joe Walton Stadium before dropping a road matchup with the Bucknell Bison, 17-6. The win over the Titans extended RMU's conference winning streak to a perfect 11 of 11 against MAC foes since joining the conference last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Robert Morris is a perfect 4-0 lifetime against the Golden Flash, outscoring them 70-20 in that span since the inception of the KSU program in 2019. Those numbers have been even more lopsided since both programs became conference rivals as RMU took down Kent 18-3 and 23-4 last season.
The Colonials and the Flames have built up quite the rivalry over the last few seasons, with RMU holding a narrow 4-3 advantage in the series. The Colonials added another chapter to an already intense series history on opening day last season, taking down LU 9-8 on opening day to end a three-game skid against the Flames. Kelley Flynn's unassisted tally with under ten minutes to play proved to be the game winner as the Colonials finally got off the schneid against LU.
SCOUTING REPORT
At 5-10 overall and 4-6 in MAC play a season ago, the Flash have taken significant strides every year as a program since their inaugural season in 2019. Picked to finish fourth overall in the 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll, KSU is riding a two-game winning streak following their 11-10 OT victory against Wofford on Sunday but sits at 0-1 in league play after a loss to Akron.
Scheduled to play Old Dominion Wednesday ahead of their clash with the Colonials on Saturday, Liberty currently sits at 2-1 overall and is coming off of a 15-14 overtime win at Virginia Tech last Wednesday. The win was the Lady Flames' first versus the Hokies in what was the 10th all-time meeting between the two squads. Sophomore Jordan Baerga was named the ASUN Player of the Week earlier this year and leads Liberty with nine goals so far this season.
TEAM LEADERS
Freshman Jenna Irwin has established herself as the focal point of the RMU offense through the first three weeks of the season. The Liverpool, N.Y. native currently leads the squad with nine goals following a massive week in which she potted five against Detroit Mercy before following it up with a hat trick on Saturday against the Bison. Irwin is currently riding a three-game goal streak for RMU.
STILL STREAKING
While the Colonials may have seen their 17-game home unbeaten streak finally come to an end earlier this season with a loss to Canisius, Robert Morris has kept another important streak alive and well so far this season: the Colonials are a perfect 11-0 against MAC opponents since joining the conference a year ago. After running the table at 10-0 in 2021, RMU is already off to a 1-0 start this season and could add to that lead Wednesday against the Flash.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Despite the senior departures, the Colonials still return a number of key pieces from their 2021 championship campaign. Junior mid Jordan Anderson is back after a season that saw her dominate as part of RMU's draw control unit, earning All-MAC First Team honors in the process. Also returning is MAC second-team attacker Kelley Flynn, second-team midfielder Colleen Tifft, and veteran defender Madison Griffin. Tifft is RMU's leading returning scorer after a 2021 campaign that saw her post 15 goals and 28 points in 17 appearances.
BEHIND THE BENCH
Reigning MAC Coach of the Year Katrina Silva returns for her fifth season at the helm of the Colonials as head coach and tenth overall with the program. Owning a 41-21 career mark at RMU including 21-4 in conference play, Silva is joined by the returning Cacki Helmer as assistant coach, as well as first-year assistant Shea Swartwout. Swartwout recently wrapped up her playing career in the spring of 2021 after five years as a midfielder for Niagara University.
NEXT UP
RMU is in action just once next week when they head to Akron for a showdown with the Zips at 3:00 p.m.
