Boiling Springs, N.C – Behind eight different Colonials netting a score, the Robert Morris women's lacrosse team captured its first win of the season with a 14-8 victory at Gardner-Webb on Wednesday afternoon at Spangler Stadium in non-conference action.
With the win, the Colonials improve to 1-4 this season while improving to 3-0 in the series against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Gardner-Webb falls to 0-6 overall this season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Runnin' Bulldogs opened the scoring at the 13:43 mark before senior
Jerica Obee found junior
Lilli Hadden and knotted the score in the eighth minute. RMU would take the lead after Obee netted back-to-back scores, one of them being a free-position opportunity, 3-2. Gardner-Webb would even the score with just six minutes remaining in the first quarter before the Colonials scored a pair of goals. Senior
Colleen Tifft found the back of the net on a shot from the left wing before sophomore
Jenna Irwin converted a free-position shot to give RMU a 5-3 lead after one. It was a slow start to the second quarter before both teams carded a goal and the Colonials held a 6-4 advantage heading into intermission.
STRIKING SECOND HALF
Robert Morris put together a strong 30 minutes in the final two frames as they led in almost every statistical category. The Colonials outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs 8-4 while tallying 20 shots, 15 of them coming on goal. RMU opened the third quarter with consecutive goals, one from graduate student
Kelsey Nelson and the other coming from sophomore
Chelsea Coleman, assisted by senior
Jordan Anderson. Both were man-up scores. Gardner-Webb would trim the Colonial lead to 8-6 with consecutive goals before junior
Gia Anthony and Hadden netted scores to end the third quarter. RMU continued to pepper the net as Tifft capped off her hat trick with two straight goals to begin the fourth and stretched the Colonial lead. RMU outshot the Runnin' Bulldogs 11-6, placing nine shots on goal in the final frame.
HATTY
Senior midfielder
Colleen Tifft enjoyed a productive day, registering her sixth career hat trick. She finished with four points on the afternoon, recording two of her three goals in the fourth quarter and collecting an assist. Tifft totaled seven shots with five placed at the net, while collecting two ground balls. The senior midfielder has posted a point in all five contests this season, while scoring in four of them. She sits second on the team with 12 points (7G) and leads the Colonials with five assists.
AROUND THE NET
Eight different Colonials found the back of the net, led by Tifft. Coleman, Obee, and Hadden all scored a pair of goals, while Coleman and Obee collected assists as well. Sophomore
Jenna Irwin saw her first action of the season and made quick work, netting two goals and tallied an assist in her season debut. Senior
Julia Koterwas ended the afternoon with two points (1G, 1A), while Nelson and Anthony both posted scores in the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior
Jordan Anderson was stout for RMU in the draw circle, carding 10 draw controls on the afternoon. Anderson has posted double-digit draws twice this season and now paces the Mid-American conference with 6.40 draws per game. After being named Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, graduate goalkeeper
Jamie Keller collected five saves on 19 shots faced. She tallied three saves in the final frame, while facing five shots on goal.
RMU outshot Gardner-Webb 38-19 and placed 29 shots to their 13 on goal. The Colonials caused seven turnovers while going a perfect 19-for-19 on clear attempts.
UP NEXT
The Colonials hit the road again on Tuesday, March 14, when they travel to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on Canisius at 3:00 p.m. in non-conference action.
