Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris men's lacrosse team is set to close out non-conference play in the final game of a four-game home stand when they welcome Drexel to Joe Walton Stadium on March 26th at 1 p.m.

GAME #8
Robert Morris Colonials (3-4) vs. Drexel Dragons (4-3)
March 26, 2022 // 1:00 p.m. // Moon Township, Pa. – Joe Walton Stadium (3,000)
Live Stats: RMUColonials.com // Video: ESPN+ // Tickets
 
HISTORY W/ DREXEL
Overall: 1-7 | Home: 1-2 | Away: 0-5 | Neutral: 0-0
Robert Morris has struggled to defeat the Dragons for the past few seasons, going 1-7 all time. The last time Robert Morris won was in 2009, when Drexel fell 11-10 at Joe Walton Stadium.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
Brian Voelker is in his 13th season with the Drexel Dragons, where he has put together a 98-78 record with the program. Last season, Voelker led Drexel to a CAA championship, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Seniors Jack Farrell, Ryan Genord, Jack Mulcahy and Sean Quinn, as well as sophomore Sean Donnelly on the preseason CAA team.

The Dragons have split time between goalkeepers Drew McGill and Ross Blumenthal this season with McGill holding a 13.00 GAA and Blumenthal allowing only 11.33.

Drexel was chosen to finish first in the CAA. Going 4-3 so far this season, the Dragons were riding a four-game win streak before being shut down by Villanova last Saturday.

LET'S REVIEW
Despite the Golden Eagles drawing first blood early in the first period, the Colonials were quick to strike back with goals by Eli Doyle and Corson Kealey to gain a 2-1 lead. The latter half of the first quarter was dominated by back-and-forth goal scoring, including an underhand laser from Jake Boudreau to take a 3-2 lead with 12-seconds on the clock. Running into the midway mark of the second quarter, Ben Starkey's seventh goal of the season projected the Colonials to a lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game.

RMU went on a 4-1 run in the third quarter to secure the win, highlighted by Colton Lidstone's second goal of the year, Taggart Clark's sixth hat trick in seven games and a beautiful coast-to-coast goal from long-stick midfielder, James Leary, with four seconds remaining on the clock.
The Colonials went on to defeat the Golden Eagles, 10-7.

SHARP STARK
With his two goals against Marquette, Ben Starkey has now registered a goal in five-straight games. The junior has surpassed his previous single-season goal count, which stood at five. Starkey's two goals and one assist tied his single-game point record.

POINTS AND GOALS AND ASSIST STREAKS, OH MY!
With goals in the last five games, Ben Starkey extended his point and goal streak to five. Meanwhile, with two assists against the Golden Eagles, Dan Taddeo has contributed points in all seven games this season while riding a three-game assist streak. Corson Kealey now has points in seven-straight games, goals in seven-games, and an assist in his last four times on the field. Jake Boudreau and Taggart Clark now have goals and points in all seven games of the 2022 season.
 
AMONG THE BEST
With hat tricks in six of the last seven games played this season, Taggart Clark ranks 10th in the nation in goals per game, averaging 3.43 per contest. Additionally, face off specialist Bo Columbus ranks 35th in the nation in face-off win percentage, getting the ball 53% on the time on the draw.
 
WEEKLY HONORS
Junior James Leary  earned his first career weekly honor on Tuesday when he was named ASUN's Defensive Player of the Week.

In helping the Colonials defeat Marquette, 10-7, this past weekend, Leary tied his career-high of seven caused turnovers. The New Fairfield, Conn. native has now caused 18 turnovers this season and 15 in the past three games.

Leary, additionally, collected four ground balls against Marquette. He now has 24 ground balls on the season. Along with his defensive heroics, Leary tallied a fast-break goal that pushed the Colonials to victory.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Saturday's matchup with Drexel marks the fourth and final game of a four-game home set for the Colonials. The last time RMU hosted four-consecutive home games was in 2013 when they welcomed Bellarmine, UMBC, Detroit Mercy and Drexel to Joe Walton Stadium.

WELCOME BACK
Graduate students Jake Boudreau and Corson Kealey were both selected in last September's 2021 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Entry Draft. Boudreau was selected seventh overall to the Saskatchewan Rush, making him RMU's sixth first-round selection in five years, while Kealey was selected by the Rochester Knighthawks in the second-round. However, both Boudreau and Kealey both chose to return to Robert Morris to fulfill their final year of eligibility.

ASUN
2022 will serve as the inaugural year for the Colonials in the ASUN Conference. RMU previously competed in the NEC, where they saw success in the form of three conference championships and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. After playing unattached in 2021, the Colonials joined the ASUN. RMU was chosen to finish third in the preseason polls with Corson Kealey being named the 2022 ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, Jake Boudreau being selected as the 2022 ASUN Preseason Midfielder of the Year, and both earning a spot on the 2022 ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team, along with senior Owen Down on defense.

NEXT UP
Robert Morris will play their first conference game as a member of the ASUN on April 2nd, as they travel to Birmingham, Michigan to take on Detroit Mercy. The game is set for 11 a.m. at Seaholm High School.