Cincinnati, Ohio – In a high scoring affair, the Robert Morris women's lacrosse team dropped a 24-9 decision at Cincinnati on Friday afternoon at Nippert Stadium.

With the loss, the Colonials fall to 0-2 during the 2023 campaign. Meanwhile, the Bearcats improve to 3-0 this spring.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
It took just 47 seconds for Robert Morris to open the scoring as junior Gianna Anthony took a pass from Colleen Tifft and gave the Colonials an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati would score five consecutive goals before sophomore midfielder Chelsea Coleman netted back-to-back scores to trim the Bearcats lead, 5-3. Cincinnati extended its lead with consecutive goals before junior Lilli Hadden beat goalkeeper Ashley Lapp to cut the Bearcat advantage. Cincinnati would tack on one more and hold an 8-4 lead after the first quarter.

The Colonials continued to battle as the southpaw Coleman registered a hat trick in the first half at the 13:31 mark in the second quarter. RMU was a man-up as senior Julia Koterwas found Coleman who beat Lapp to the back of the net. Senior Jerica Obee trimmed the lead to two after converting a free position shot, 8-6. The Bearcats would respond with five unanswered scores to extend their lead with 6:07 remaining in the first half, 12-6. Kelsey Nelson would end the scoring drought as she netted her first goal of the season, Obee was carded with the assist. Later in the half, Koterwas and senior Colleen Tifft netted goals, as the Bearcats held a 16-9 lead at intermission. In the second half, Cincinnati outscored the Colonials 8-0, while out shooting RMU 16-6.

BATTLE OF THE DRAW
A bright spot for the Colonials on the afternoon was senior midfielder Jordan Anderson in the draw circle. Anderson won 11 draws on the evening after only capturing three last week at Ohio State. The senior midfielder won 94 draws a season ago and ranked second in the league in draw controls per game at 5.53. Sophomore Chelsea Coleman registered four draw control wins, giving her a total of eight on the season.

HAT TRICK
Sophomore Chelsea Coleman recorded her second career hat trick after netting three goals in the first half. Coleman carded her first goal at the 7:38 mark to trim the Cincinnati lead, 5-2. Just a little over a minute later, the sophomore found the back of the net for her second straight goal with 6:27 remaining in the first quarter. The Maryland native capped off her day by scoring the first goal of the second quarter off a pass from Koterwas.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Seven different Colonials registered a goal this afternoon, led by Coleman. Gia Anthony, Kelsey Nelson, and Lilli Hadden all recorded their first goals on the season, while Nelson tallied an assist. Julia Koterwas and Jerica Obee found the back of the net for the second time this year, while Colleen Tifft scored her third this season and tallied an assist. Koterwas and Obee both registered assists in the contest.

UP NEXT
RMU returns to Joe Walton Stadium for the first time this season when it hosts Bucknell for its season opener on Saturday, Feb. 25, with the opening draw set for 12:00 p.m.

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