PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team pushed its MAC win streak to 14 games with a 17-16 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas Wednesday at Joe Walton Stadium. The win lifts RMU to 4-4 on the year and 4-0 in conference play.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

In a game that featured massive swings in momentum for both squads, both the Colonials and Chippewas traded scoring runs all afternoon until RMU finally managed to get the upper hand down the stretch. CMU asserted themselves early, building up several multi-goal leads in the first two quarters including a 9-5 advantage with just 39 seconds to play in the second, however a resilient Colonial attack managed to score twice in the final 18 seconds to cut the lead down to just two goals at halftime.  Six straight RMU goals to start the third helped the Colonials flip the script and grab a 13-9 lead, however this time it was RMU who saw a multi-goal lead evaporate as CMU went on a 4-0 run to knot things up at 14-14.  Jerica Obee's tally with 5:12 in regulation finally put RMU ahead again before insurance goals from Jordan Anderson and Chelsea Coleman helped the Colonials stave off a final CMU comeback attempt and hold on for the 17-16 win.   

KELLER IN THE CLUTCH

Despite a high-scoring affair, reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week Jamie Keller produced some huge stops in key moments for RMU, finishing the day tied for a season-best 13 saves.  The senior produced eight of her 13 stops in the second half, including four in the fourth quarter to prevent CMU from mounting a dramatic comeback to tie the game late.  Three of Keller's stops in the second came on near point-blank free-position attempts by the Chippewas as well as back-to-back chances for Maggie Diebold and Hannah Potter with under four minutes to play in regulation.

COLD LIKE MINNESOTA

Junior midfielder Jordan Anderson turned in arguably the most complete performance of her Colonials career Wednesday, making an impact in nearly every statistical category for RMU. The Savage, Minnesota native led Robert Morris offensively on the day with four goals for a new career high, peppering CMU keeper Erin Owens with seven total shots.  Anderson also scooped a ground ball and caused a turnover in addition to five draw controls on the day.

IRWIN'S MARCH

Freshman Jenna Irwin continued her relentless scoring pace against CMU, potting a hat trick to extend her goal streak to seven games and bring her season total to a team-leading 18.  Irwin joined Anderson in what was a dominant day for the Colonial midfield unit, adding two ground balls and a team-high six draw controls against the Chippewas.  Irwin was one of three Colonial mids with multiple goals on the day along with Anderson and Mackenzie Bell who buried two.

FRESHMEN FIND THE NET

Colonial freshman Haylee Handrahan buried the first goal of her RMU career with 50 seconds to play in the third, wiring a perfect shot over Erin Owen's right shoulder to give RMU a 13-9 lead heading into the fourth. Handrahan is the fourth rookie to score her first career goal this year along with Irwin, Chelsea Coleman and Maggie Boyle.

QUOTABLES

"Today was intense, it was a great game and CMU is a great opponent. Some of the kids the way they played today, I mean Griff [Madison Griffin], how many great things can you say about a person. She does all those hard work, hustle things, she follows the game plan and knows what she's capable of, and I think the rest of our team really feeds off that. They feed off her confidence and her energy, so to see that today was pretty remarkable." - Head Coach Katrina Silva

"The whole game all around was really fast and competitive, and I'm so proud of the way this team responded. The best thing we did as a unit was when they started to come back on us a bit, we kept our heads up and just told ourselves that we're going to fight back from this. We were all looking forward to this game, and I definitely think we play up against great teams like them." - Graduate midfielder Madison Griffin

NEXT UP

RMU heads south for a non-conference showdown at UMBC this Saturday, March 19 at noon.