MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Robert Morris women's lacrosse team suffered its first conference loss of the season Saturday, falling 12-11 to the Central Michigan Chippewas at the CMU Soccer and Lacrosse Field. The loss drops RMU to 8-7 overall and 8-1 in the MAC.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

A back and forth Saturday matinee saw the top-two ranked programs in the MAC battling it out in a game where neither side managed to sustain momentum for any serious amount of time. RMU saw an early multi-goal lead evaporate near the end of the first following Jenna Irwin's tally which made it 3-1 Colonials when Brennan Paddy and Audrey Whiteside scored back-to-back goals to knot things up at 3-3.  A two goal run from CMU flipped the script on RMU who now found themselves trailing by a pair, however a tally from Colleen Tifft and another from Irwin helped to knot things up at 6-6 after one half.  Clinging to a three-goal lead at 11-8 with just over ten minutes to play in the fourth, a dramatic run of four straight unanswered goals from the Chippewas over the final 10:07 helped CMU deal RMU their first conference loss since joining the MAC in 2021.  Kelley Hoyt tied things up at 11-all with 1:45 left in regulation before finding the back of the net again with just 15 seconds left on the clock for the eventual game-winner.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Colleen Tifft, Jerica Obee, and Julia Koterwas all managed to extend their goal streaks in the loss, with the latter two each finishing the day with two goals apiece. Tifft owns the high-water mark at 11 games while Obee hit ten and Koterwas eight.

REGULAR SEASON CROWN

Despite the setback, RMU can still clinch their second straight MAC regular season title with a win on Senior Day next Saturday against Youngstown State at the Joe. A win against the Penguins would also lock RMU in to host the inaugural MAC Tournament on May 5.

NEXT UP

RMU puts a bow on the 2022 regular season campaign next Saturday when they host Youngstown State for Senior day at the Joe at 1:00 p.m.