RMU Opens ASUN Play at Detroit

Robert Morris is set to make their ASUN debut against the Detroit Mercy Titans

Detroit, Mich. – The Robert Morris men's lacrosse team is set to make their ASUN conference debut on Saturday, as they travel to Birmingham, Mich., to face the Detroit Mercy Titans at Seaholm High School.

GAME #9
Robert Morris Colonials (4-4) at Detroit Mercy Titans (1-5)
April 2, 2022 // 11:00 a.m. // Birmingham, Mich. – Maple Field (2,500)
Live Stats: DetroitTitans.com // Video: YouTube

History w/ Detroit Mercy
Overall: 7-1 | Home: 5-0 | Away: 2-1 | Neutral: 0-0
Robert Morris is set to make their ASUN debut against Detroit Mercy. RMU holds a 7-1 all-time record against the Titans, winning their last two meetings. The two teams most recently faced-off just days before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, on March 4, 2020. The Colonials took a 16-13 win on Detroit's home turf with Elliot Holden tallying six points in the form of five goals and an assist.

Scouting the Titans
Chris Kolon is in his 8th season with Detroit Mercy, where he has put together a 38-53 record with the program.
Graduate Student Brett Erskine has been the driving force for the DM offense, scoring 11 goals and tallying 15 points in six games.
Goalkeeper Jakob Hemme has started five of the Titans six games this season, averaging 20.32 GAA and a .448 save percentage.
Detroit Mercy was chosen to finish fifth of six teams in the ASUN in 2022. Saturday will mark the opening for conference play for the Titans as well.

Let's Review
It was a high-scoring first quarter for RMU, with Eric Swagerty opening the scoring with his first of the year. Despite trailing, 4-3, heading into the second quarter, the Colonials erupted with a 6-1 run to make it a 9-5 game. However, the Dragons managed three unanswered goals to keep the Colonials on their heels. With a three-goal stretch to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, Corson Kealey thought he called it at the 1:49 mark, only to have Drexel turn around and tie it once more. With 1:32 on the clock and a face off win, Bo Columbus took it up the field to snipe one past the goalkeeper Blumenthal to win the game.

Cat's Out of the Swag
Eric Swagerty has started the last five games for RMU as a vital piece of the midfield. The Fairfax Station native scored his first career goal to open the game, followed by his first career hat trick. The sophomore was shooting at 100%, going 3-for-3 with shots on goal.

Keal-ing It
Corson Kealey is now riding a 17-game scoring streak, dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season. The graduate student tied his season/career high of six goals in a single contest to push the Colonials over Drexel.

Nationally Ranked
Going into Saturday's meeting, the Colonials are scoring 13.75 goals per game. Taggart Clark sits among the top 20 players in the country when it comes to goals scored per game. Clark, who is averaging 3.25 goals per game ranks 16th in all of NCAA Division I men's lacrosse. After his six-goal game against Drexel, Corson Kealey now sits in a three-way tie for the 20th in the nation with 3.12 goals per game. Sophomore Bo Columbus ranks 33rd in the nation in ground balls per game with 5.38. Additionally, the transfer ranks 33rd in the nation in face-off win percentage, getting the ball 54% on the time on the draw.

Weekly Honors
For the second time this season, Corson Kealey has earned ASUN Player of the Week honors, the conference announced on Tuesday. With six goals in the Colonials' 15-14 win over cross-state rival, Drexel. The Ottawa, Ontario native's career-high helped RMU defeat the Dragons for the first time since the 2009 season. This is the second six-goal game that Kealey had this season with his performance against Stony Brook on February 19th.
This is the second consecutive week that a member of the RMU men's lacrosse team has earned ASUN honors. James Leary was named Defensive Player of the Week previously with his strong play against Marquette.

Sweet Home, Pennsylvania
The Colonials have only played at Joe Walton Stadium dating back to 2019. With five home games in the books for the 2022 season, RMU sits at 3-2 at Joe Walton Stadium, winning three of their last four home games.

The Mitten
Three members of the RMU lacrosse team are from Michigan. Freshmen Nate Randall, Parker Piwinski, and Bobby Reaume all hail from Michigan, playing for Brother Rice in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Brother Rice sits 22 miles north of Detroit and five minutes from Seaholm High School, where the Colonials will be playing Saturday.

Nate Randall started the last seven games in goal for RMU, posting a .504 save percentage and holding a 2-2 record. Piwinski and Reaume both got time in the Colonials win over Canisius on March 9th.

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 is set to return to Joe Walton on April 9th for a lacrosse doubleheader. The RMU women's lacrosse team is set to take on Kent State at noon, followed by the men's team taking on Bellarmine at 3 p.m.

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