Buffalo, N.Y. – The Robert Morris women's lacrosse team suffered a 12-5 defeat at Canisius on Wednesday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex in non-conference action.

With the loss, the Colonials drop to 1-5 overall this season. Meanwhile, the Golden Griffins jump to 4-2 this year.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Despite a chilly afternoon, it was a hot start for Canisius as they opened the contest with five consecutive goals to gain an early lead. After a Golden Griffins foul inside the arc, graduate student Kelsey Nelson got RMU on the board as she converted the free position shot with 6:59 remaining in the first quarter. The two squads would combine for five shots and four ground balls as Canisius held a 5-1 lead after the opening frame. The Golden Griffins would stretch its lead in the 11th minute when Carolina Netti executed a free position shot. It took just over 30 seconds for the Colonials to respond as junior Gia Anthony found the back of the net on a free opportunity to trim the Canisius lead, 6-2.

In the second half, the Golden Griffins picked up where they left off as they netted consecutive scores to improve its lead 8-2, with 13:23 remaining in the third. In the 12th minute, sophomore Chelsea Coleman looked to chip into the Canisius advantage as her shot unfortunately ricocheted off the post. The home team tacked on another score and stretched its lead with a Skylar McArthur goal. The two teams would go over seven minutes without a score before Anthony took a feed from Nelson and beat goalkeeper Jody Chu to trim the advantage. Canisius would go on a 3-0 run to begin the fourth before senior Julia Koterwas and Coleman netted scores for the Colonials.

TALE OF THE TAPE
Robert Morris continued to battle all afternoon but the Golden Griffins remained stout. Canisius held a 23-20 edge in shots, including an 18-10 lead in shots on goal, with seven coming in the first period. The Golden Griffins held a 21-15 advantage in ground balls while forcing nine Colonial turnovers and going a perfect 16-for-16 on clear attempts. The home team grabbed a slight edge in draws with an 11-10 advantage as RMU took a 6-2 lead in free position shots.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Four different Colonials registered a goal, led by Gia Anthony, who carded her fifth career multi-goal game. She fired a season-high seven shots while finding the back of the net twice and grabbed two ground balls. Kelsey Nelson netted a score and an assist while grabbing two ground balls and caused a turnover. Julia Koterwas found the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season and Chelsea Coleman extended her streak of five straight games with a score. Coleman leads the team with 12 goals this season and also grabbed a season-high four draws in the loss.

Sophomore midfielder Maddy Boyle paced the Colonials and grabbed a career-high five ground balls on the afternoon, while junior Lucy Hess snatched a pair as well.  Graduate goalkeeper Jamie Keller snagged six saves on 23 shots faced and has now collected five or more saves in five straight contests for RMU.

UP NEXT
RMU returns to Joe Walton Stadium on Saturday, March 18, when it hosts Queens for a non-conference match, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

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