Emmitsburg, Md. – The Robert Morris women's soccer team took down Mount St. Mary's in a dominating fashion, winning 3-0. The Colonials are now 6-0-1 overall and the Mount hold a record of 1-4-1.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Colonials got right to business on a hot, sunny day down in Emmitsburg, Md. In the first minute of the match,
Malia Kearns recorded the first shot of the day.
RMU's first quality chance came in the ninth minute, as a ball from the left side was played across the front of the six-yard box, finding sophomore
Taylor Day on the back post. Day just couldn't get there in time as she managed to get a piece, going just wide of the goal.
Moments later, in a similar situation, captain
Kaoru Hayashi found the left-back
Emily Rocco in open space down the left side. Rocco served a ball across the box, as three Colonial players were basically unmarked, tracking the ball down before goal. It would be sophomore
Jillian Marvin stepping up to the cross and pounding it in to take the 1-0 advantage.
Continuing through the first half, RMU kept pressing the Mount's defense and disallowing them from gaining any momentum and possession for long periods of time. In the 23
rd minute,
Malia Kearns ripped a shot from about 30 yards out, almost reaching the top-left corner of the goal.
Three minutes later, Mohrbacher held the ball just outside the 18. As Mount St. Mary players were closing in, Mohrbacher fed the ball to Hayashi coming down the left side, wide open. Hayashi took a touch off Mohrbacher's brilliant pass, aiming to the left side with her shot, but goalkeeper Klil Keshwar made the stop.
For the remainder of the half, the Colonials sprayed three more shots and earned two corner kick opportunities. RMU did not find the second goal they were looking for in the first half, but they withheld Mount St. Mary's from even attempting one shot in the first half. As the visitors, RMU outshot the Mount, 9-0.
Onto the second half, the Colonials continued to keep play in the offensive zone. After posting two more shots,
Taylor Day finally answered with the second goal they were looking for. Coming down the right side, freshman
Shauna Gamble made a pass to
Haleigh Finale. The senior forward made a low driven pass to Day, finding her outside the box. Day took one touch to her left and with quick footwork she curled one into the bottom left corner, beating the keeper.
About 10 minutes later, the super sub
Lidia Nduka did it once again. She walked onto the field in the 70
th minute and then scored in the 73
rd. Day found Nduka forward, giving her a 1v1 opportunity. Nduka took a dribble to the left and then cut back right, faked out the defender and then beat the goalie with a shot into the bottom-right corner.
After scoring three goals, the Colonials kept their foot on the gas. Over the next four minutes, RMU hammered two more shots and were given three more chances from the corner kick spot. California native
Shauna Gamble almost headed in her first career goal off a corner kick.
Kaoru Hayashi played the ball perfectly as she consistently does, finding Gamble near the goal. Gamble headed one high but the keeper punched it out.
Closing out the game, RMU played solid in front of goalkeeper
Brenna Murray and didn't allow any dangerous goal-scoring opportunities for the Mount. Murray earned another clean sheet, and RMU came away victorious, 3-0.
SCORING PLAYS
11' – Goal: Jillian Marvin (1), Assisted by: Emily Rocco (2), Kaoru Hayashi (3)
62' – Goal: Taylor Day (2), Assisted by: Haleigh Finale (3), Shauna Gamble (1)
73' – Goal: Lidia Nduka (7), Assisted by: Taylor Day (3)
MURRAY'S MASTERCLASS
Earning another win, graduate goalkeeper
Brenna Murray earned her fourth clean sheet of the season. Through the first seven games of the campaign, Murray has only allowed four goals, making 26 saves. With Murray's shut down performances, RMU is outscoring their opponents, 18-4. In today's game, the team in front of her kept Mount St. Mary's away from goal most of the game. The first shot for the Mount didn't happen until the 78
th minute of the match. Looking to end the shutout, the home side recorded six shots and just three on goal. Murray made all three key saves to preserve the zero on the scoreboard.
COLONIAL FIRSTS
Against Mount St. Mary's, defender
Jillian Marvin scored her first career goal. She recorded her first career point earlier in the season, assisting
Lidia Nduka on the game-winning goal, when RMU beat Indiana State, 2-1 in their home opener. Also, freshman
Shauna Gamble collected her first collegiate point with an assist on
Taylor Day's goal.
ROAD WARRIORS
So far, in the 2023 campaign, RMU has only played two home games and five on the road. In all five road games, the Colonials are outscoring their opponents 14-1, winning all five. The only goal they've given up outside of the North Athletic Complex was a penalty kick. "The team has been great on the road so far, and that continued today," stated head coach
Chris Shaw. Across those five competitions, graduate forward
Lidia Nduka has scored in all of them. On the road,
Taylor Day has produced all her points at visiting fields, scoring two goals and three assists. The same goes for senior
Haleigh Finale with one goal and three helpers.
COLONIALS CROSS COUNTRY
After today's match, a few Colonials are making their ways on the national leaderboard. With her seventh goal of the season,
Lidia Nduka is tied third in goals in the country. Both Nduka and sophomore
Renae Mohrbacher are currently in the top 10 in total points. Nduka is tied seventh with 14 points and Mohrbacher is tied 10
th with 11 points. On the defensive side,
Brenna Murray is tied second in shutouts with four.
THE STREAK CONTINUES
Back in 2022, head coach
Chris Shaw and his team went eight games without giving up a loss to open the season. Last year, RMU's record was 5-0-3 before the undefeated streak ended. Currently, the 2023 Colonials have already surpassed that win total, as they're 6-0-1 overall. Another win or tie in the next game will officially equal the program's record of eight straight games without dropping a result.
QUOTABLE
"I was happy with our performance today and the players ability to deal with the game-time change and how that impacted our routine. Our team did a great job of limiting Mount St. Mary's chances, but we still need to be a bit more clinical in front of goal."
– Head Coach Chris Shaw
UP NEXT
Heading back out on the road, the Colonials will have a quick turnaround, as they take on Le Moyne on Friday, September 8 at 4:00 p.m. The following week, conference play will pick up in the Horizon League.
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