Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's soccer team picked up another conference win, beating the University of Detroit Mercy, 2-1. The Colonials are overall 9-2-2 on the season and 3-2 in Horizon League contests. Now, the Titans are 4-6-3 in 2023 and 2-3 in conference.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Scoring another early goal, the Colonials only needed about 10 minutes of time to get one past Detroit Mercy on the day.
Possessing the ball down the left side of the goal,
Renae Mohrbacher found
Taylor Day in front of the goal. Facing the opposite direction of the goal, Day took a touch to her left and slotted a shot past the keeper, giving RMU an early 1-0 lead.
As the game continued, the Titans started to create some chances on the offense. Playing in goal,
Brenna Murray made four stops over the next 20 minutes, but Detroit Mercy eventually executed on a play. Off a corner kick, Ashley Bates hit one in to tie up the game.
Fighting back before the half ended, the Colonials got back to the other end. The team posted three shots and earned two corner kick chances. The scoreboard showed a 1-1 tie after 45 minutes.
Entering the second half,
Brenna Murray made two key saves to preserve a 1-1 tie.
Going the other way in the 55
th minute, the Colonials built from the back, inching their way forward up the field. Mohrbacher found freshman
Shauna Gamble in the center of the field. She passed over to the right, finding midfielder
Kaoru Hayashi. The captain dribbled by a player, took a touch to her left foot and blasted a shot over 35 yards out, landing in the top left corner of the goal.
From then on out, the Colonials slowed down the game. Detroit Mercy still stayed on the attack pushing numbers forward. They pushed five more shots towards goal and Murray made an additional three saves.
After 90 minutes of play, the home side was victorious, winning 2-1.
SCORING PLAYS AND CAUTIONS
11' – Goal: Taylor Day (3), Assisted by: Renae Mohrbacher (5)
33' – Goal: Ashley Bates (3), Assisted by: Hailey Matthews (2)
37' – Yellow Card: Abbey Lodato
55' – Goal: Kaoru Hayashi (3), Assisted by: Shauna Gamble (2), Renae Mohrbacher (6)
MORE SAVES FOR MURRAY
Against the Titans,
Brenna Murray was an imperative player in the win. On the day, Murray made a season-high eight saves. Starting all 13 games in net, she's been awarded the win nine times and has saved 49 shots.
PROGRAM PROGRESSING
Since becoming a member of the Horizon League in 2020, the most conference games the team has won in a season is two. Officially after beating Detroit Mercy today, the Colonials have won three games in conference during the 2023 campaign so far. Historically, the program's record for wins in a season is 11, which happened back in 2011. The most conference wins in the program's history was in 2015, as that team won five games in the NEC. Head coach
Chris Shaw since taking over the program in 2019 has built a strong roster over the past few years, steering towards new heights this year. Sitting a 9-2-2 overall record and 3-2 in conference, the 2023 squad is two wins away from tying the previous records.
HEATING UP DOWN THE STRETCH
With five games left on the schedule (all against Horizon League opponents), the Colonials have been heating up recently at the right time. Across the past four games, RMU has pounced in 11 goals. Offensively, sophomore
Malia Kearns has racked up five goals over those four games. Leading the midfield, Hayashi has sniped two goals and one assist. Playing up top, Mohrbacher owns one goal and three assists during that time frame. Her teammate alongside her,
Haleigh Finale, has recorded one goal and one assist. And, out of Las Vegas,
Elisa Corvalan owns two assists in the last four appearances.
QUOTABLE
"Happy with the result today. Detroit Mercy made it tough for us and it wasn't our best performance. However, the team dug their heels in and earned the result."
– Head Coach Chris Shaw
UP NEXT
After facing a team from Detroit, the Colonials will head to the motor city state themselves to take on Oakland for another conference game. RMU travels to play them on the road on Thursday, October 5 at 5:30 p.m.
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