BALTIMORE, Md. - The Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team dropped a non-conference showdown to the UMBC Retrievers Saturday at the Retriever Soccer Complex, falling to the hosts 25-15. The loss drops RMU to 4-5 on the year.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The Colonials and Retrievers treated the fans in attendance to a high-octane performance Saturday, finishing the day with a combined 40 goals between the two squads in what was RMU's highest-scoring game to date.  A back-and forth first half saw both teams trade chances up and down the field with the lead switching hands five times before the opening half hour was through.  A four-goal run from RMU helped the Colonials grab a 7-5 advantage after one, however a quick response and subsequent 4-0 run for UMBC quickly put the Retrievers back ahead at 9-7 with under nine minutes to play.  Another three-goal run from UMBC ended the half with RMU trading by one, 12-11.

GOALS GALORE

RMU and UMBC's 40 combined goals were the most in a game for the Colonials this season, and RMU's 15 is the second  highest team total after they potted 17 against both Detroit Mercy and Central Michigan.  Freshman Jenna Irwin extended her goal-scoring streak to eight games, potting all four of her tallies in the first half to lead the team with 22 on the season. Colleen Tifft and Julia Koterwas each recorded hat-tricks in the high-scoring affair, with Koterwas adding a pair of assists to lead the Colonials with five total points. Lilli Hadden also scored to extend her scoring streak to three games.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The game remained a tight affair well into the third after Hadden's goal brought RMU to within one, trailing 15-14 with just over seven minutes into the new half.  Despite RMU's refusal to back down, UMBC dug in and soon produced the most dramatic run for either team on the afternoon, outscoring the Colonials 8-0 over the next 16:57 of game time to take a dramatic 23-14 stranglehold of the action before Kelley Flynn finally managed to stop the rally with 4:27 left in regulation. The run included three straight player-up goals for the Retrievers in 1:12 of elapsed time in the third.

GROUND GAME

After a hectic first quarter that saw the Colonials cough up the ball seven times, RMU settled into its rhythm and soon began to manage the ball much more carefully the rest of the game,  finishing the final three quarters even with UMBC in turnovers at nine-all.  The Colonials also grabbed 22-ground balls to UMBC's 20, led by graduate Madison Griffin who finished the day with seven.

NEXT UP

RMU gets back into MAC play this Wednesday when they travel to Youngstown State for a showdown with the Penguins on March 23.