Robert Morris University Athletics

In many ways, the 15th season of Robert Morris University women's lacrosse raised the standard in Moon Township to new heights.

Earning a program-record 12 victories during the season, the Colonials clinched their sixth consecutive Northeast Conference tournament berth with a 5-2 record in league play. Beyond that, coach Katrina Silva's squad fell a couple of goals shy of making the program's first NEC final, battling eventual champion Wagner down to the wire in the semifinal round.

But while it's tempting to hold up 2019 as a season above the rest, in reality it represented merely the latest building block for a program that has steadily trended upward since its birth in 2005 under original head coach Katy Phillips.

Milestones along the journey included the first victory over a power-conference school (at Cincinnati in 2008), the first winning season (9-8 in 2009) and the first postseason berth (2011, with a 7-2 NEC record), but in recent seasons the Colonials have gone about the business of establishing themselves as perennial contenders.

Since the start of the 2014 season, RMU has posted a collective 62-43 (.590) record, with every year finishing at .500 or better. Just as importantly, Colonials have gone 28-15 (.651) in NEC play over that span, including 5-2 records in each of the past four seasons. They've also defended their home turf at Joe Walton Stadium to an impressive degree over the past six years, claiming 35 games and losing just 10 for a .778 win percentage.

Add up all the numbers and you get one of Division I's most consistent teams, regardless of conference affiliation. But there's reason to believe that the past six years of ascendance are only the beginning.

Not only did RMU claim 12 wins for the first time, the 2019 team also ranked in the top three in program history in the following per-game categories: Assists, shots, ground balls, caused turnovers, save percentage and goals allowed.

What's more, the 2019 Colonials were largely powered by a nine-player junior class, all of whom were significant contributors to the program's best-ever season. The following player will all return as seniors for the 2020 campaign ...

• Attacker Mackenzie Gandy put together the third-best scoring season ever by a Colonial, posting 70 points in 2018 for a per-game rate of 4.12. Her 47 goals were the third-most in program history, and her 27 assists rank fourth all-time. She was named to the All-NEC First Team for the second time in her three-year college career.
• Twin sister Melanie Gandy was even better in the set-up category, cashing in 32 assists for the second-highest total in team history. Her 58 total points place her at No. 6 on RMU's all-time list.
• Goalie Katelyn Miller continued her rise, posting a .490 save percentage that was the second-best ever for an RMU starter and good for the top 15 in the nation; her 10.43 goals-against average ranked third on the Colonials' all-time list.
• Defender Kelly Colegrove posted eye-popping caused-turnover numbers again, leading the NEC and placing in the top 10 nationally with 2.71 per game. She repeated as an All-NEC First Team honoree.
• Midfielder Clio Kerr contributed 5.65 draw controls per game, the best rate in team history by someone not named Jessica Karwacki ('16). Kerr also was selected to represent Ireland in the 2019 European Championships.

The talent and leadership of graduated seniors Sophia Eureka, Kerri Sayrafe and Shannon Lynch will be missed in 2020, but the Colonials are well-positioned to add to what has blossomed into a tradition of success.

As Silva put it after the final whistle of 2019: "There's so many great leaders in the past that have gotten us to this point. We had pieces all the time, but even the role players played as big pieces on this team."
 

SIGNIFICANT DATES IN PROGRAM HISTORY

2005

March 17: The Colonials take the field for the first time, falling 13-2 to Niagara in Buffalo, N.Y.  Madeline Flanagan scored RMU's first-ever goal less than three minutes into the game.
March 20: Freshman Josephine Zizik records the first multi-goal game in team annals, netting two in RMU's 20-4 loss at Le Moyne. Zizik would go on to lead the team in goals (11), assists (3) and points (14).
March 24: RMU plays host in its inaugural home game at Joe Walton Stadium, with visiting Wagner scoring a 16-3 victory in what was also the Colonials' first-ever Northeast Conference matchup.
April 24: The first varsity women's lacrosse season in RMU history comes to an end with a 15-2 defeat at league foe Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn.
 

2006

Feb. 25: In their first home game of their second season, the Colonials defeat Howard, 18-14, for the program's first-ever victory. RMU had dropped their first 15 decisions before Jenn Collins produced six goals and eight total points in the win, setting team records in both categories.
March 26: The Colonials muscle their way into the win column in NEC play for the first time, beating Central Connecticut by a 15-12 margin on the road. Jillian Howley scores five times and Collins adds four more as RMU reverses an early 5-1 deficit in New Britain, Conn. 
April 20: Phillips' squad earns its inaugural home NEC win against in-state foe Saint Francis, coming out on top 11-6; this was the first time RMU had held an opponent to a single-digit goal total. Ashley Levering had four points (2g, 2a) and goalie Kelly Driesch stopped four of 10 shots on target.
April 23: The Colonials conclude their second season with a 3-14 record after challenging a Big Ten opponent for the first time in Ohio State. RMU falls 20-2 in Columbus, Ohio, but Collins finishes the season with 45 goals, still to this day the third-most ever scored by a Colonial in a single season.

2007

March 16: With goalie Erica Webb stopping nine shots, RMU piles up its third non-conference win of the spring with a 15-7 defeat of Niagara in western New York. The Colonials also defeated Bucknell and Davidson to enter NEC play at 3-5.
March 30: RMU puts together its first back-to-back victories ever, taking care of Central Connecticut by an 18-7 score in Moon Township. Seven Colonials score multiple goals, with Kara Blakeley and Zizic recording dueling hat tricks. RMU had beaten Sacred Heart on the road five days prior.
April 22: The Colonials spank Wagner, 15-4 on home turf to complete the season at 7-9 overall and 4-4 in NEC action. RMU ends up fifth in the nine-team conference, one game behind the fourth and final postseason spot. 
April 26: RMU's team-wide improvement accompanies individual postseason accolades for the first time, as three Colonials make the All-NEC Second Team: Collins (32 goals, 10 assists), Blakeley (22 goals, nine assists) and Mary Kate Egan (program-record 1.94 caused turnovers per game).
 

2008

Feb. 29: The Colonials defeat a 'power conference' team for the first time, edging Cincinnati 11-8 on the road to begin their fourth season. Alana Beck nets a second-half hat trick as RMU outscores the Bearcats 7-2 after the intermission.
March 22: Behind hat tricks from Beck and Emily Tomlinson, plus 10 saves from Webb, RMU wipes out Wagner 18-8 on Staten Island, N.Y. 
April 6: Beck continues her high-octane season with four goals and four assists in an 18-14 barn-burning win at Central Connecticut. The eight points tie a team record previously reached twice by Collins during the 2006 season.
April 20: The Colonials (5-11 overall) finish the season on a winning note, taking care of Saint Francis, 22-5, in the team's largest margin of victory to that point. For the second straight year, RMU finishes at 4-4 in league play, one game shy of making the NEC tournament.

2009

March 14: Robert Morris sweeps a two-game trip to California, following up a 15-9 win at St. Mary's with a 13-8 dismissal of UC-Davis. Tomlinson paces the attack on the weekend, with four goals and six total points.
March 20: RMU downs Manhattan 17-13 in the Big Apple, clinching a .500 non-conference record for the first time. Collins and Howley each go for four goals, with Webb stopping 14 shots. 
April 9: The Colonials win their second in a row, 19-6 against Central Connecticut, giving them a team-record 37 combined goals in consecutive games. Levering continues her historic playmaking pace, accounting for eight assists during that span.
April 17: RMU drops a team-record 23 goals at Saint Francis, with the senior Levering piling up seven assists and 10 total points to set new program single-game standards in those categories.
April 19: Howley nets a dramatic free-position goal with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to down Mount St. Mary's, 14-13 in the regular-season finale at Joe Walton Stadium. The Colonials finish with a winning record overall (9-8) and in NEC play (5-3), but miss out on the fourth-and-final NEC postseason position via a head-to-head tiebreaker with Monmouth. 
April 23: For the first time, Robert Morris is represented on the All-NEC First Team, with seniors Blakeley (team-best 39 goals) and Egan getting honored in a vote of the league's coaches. Fellow Class of '09 member Levering makes the Second Team after setting a team and NEC record with an incredible 50 assists, ranking second in the nation with 2.94 helpers per game.
 

2010

Feb. 19: RMU begins its sixth season with its third trip to the historic Naval Academy in three years, dropping the opener by a 14-4 final score in Annapolis, Md.
March 21: After a 1-3 start, the Colonials cap a three-game win streak with a 14-2 domination of NEC foe Wagner, setting a new team record for fewest goals allowed. Junior attacker Ashley Trombetta nets six goals in the rout and adds four assists, tying Levering's team record for points in a game (10) and also matching Collins' RMU mark for goals in an outing.
April 1: The Colonials bury in-state rival Saint Francis, 20-4, marking the third straight year they dumped at least 20 on the Red Flash. Senior attacker Beck's six goals foreshadow what would be a huge month.
April 18: RMU closes the season with a thrilling 15-14 defeat of Central Connecticut, with Beck pouring on a team-record seven goals in the Colonials' second consecutive NEC victory. RMU ends the year at 7-8, but boasts a winning conference record (5-4) for the second consecutive year, even though it was one game shy of making the NEC tourney.
April 22: The Colonials place a program-best five players on all-NEC teams, with four -- Beck, Trombetta, midfielder Ali Gibbons and goalie Webb -- making the Second Team. Beck's 43 goals then ranked as the second most in a season by an RMU player, while Webb wrapped a career that has her still at the top of the program's all-time save percentage list, at .473. Also, midfielder Tara Southworth is selected to the Third Team.

2011

Feb. 27: The Colonials open the year by edging non-conference foe Bucknell, 9-5 on the road. Freshman goalie Kaitlin Pentz stops nine shots in her NCAA debut, but that would be the lone non-NEC win of the season for the team.
March 25: In the program's 102nd all-time game, RMU finally wins an overtime game, beating NEC opponent Sacred Heart, 11-10 in Fairfield, Conn. Junior Colleen O'Donnell leads the team with four goals on the day, but freshman Emily VanDyne completes her hat trick with the sudden-death game-winning goal, breaking the Colonials' six-game slump.
April 8: For the second straight season, RMU sets a new team low for goals allowed in a match against Wagner. The Colonials -- who allowed just three shots on goal and eight overall -- stifled the Seahawks 14-1 on Staten Island, establishing a record that still stands. 
April 17: In edging Monmouth 11-8 at Joe Walton Stadium, the Colonials win their third in a row at home -- matching a team record -- and their fifth in a row overall. They finish the year at 3-1 in Moon Township in NEC games.
April 21: RMU leaves little doubt in its regular-season finale, blitzing Saint Francis 17-11 in Loretto, Pa., to complete a 7-2 tour through the NEC and qualify for its first conference tournament. Sophomore attacker Rachel Engel (5g, 3a) and O'Donnell (6g, 2a) tie the team record for points in a single game. 
April 28: A day before competing in the NEC semifinals for the first time, the Colonials enjoy a banner night at the NEC banquet. Phillips receives league Coach of the Year honors, while an unprecedented three RMU players make the First Team: O'Donnell, Trombetta and senior defender Mallory Schulze. O'Donnell's huge year in the midfield set a national record, as she was the first Division I player ever to post 50 caused turnovers and 50 ground balls in a single season; her 55 caused turnovers are still an RMU record. VanDyne also makes the All-Freshman team.
April 29: In the first postseason game in team history, the second-seeded Colonials fall 13-8 to Mount St. Mary's on the Quinnipiac campus in Hamden, Conn. Elizabeth Sunseri nets a hat trick for RMU, which wraps the breakthrough year at 8-9 overall.
 

2012

Feb. 5: In RMU's earliest season opener to date, the Colonials outmuscle visiting Howard 18-9 at Joe Walton Stadium. Sophomore attacker Talia Waskowicz starts a breakout year with a six-goal outing, while freshman Emma Baukhages tacks on five of her own.
March 17: After suffering through their second six-game losing streak in two seasons, RMU earns catharsis with a 13-12 overtime defeat of Davidson in Moon Township. Freshman middie Erin Mossop scores the sudden-death decider as the Colonials close non-conference play in fine style.
March 31: Saint Francis again proves to be an offensive tonic for Robert Morris, which earns its second straight NEC win with an 18-13 decision. Pittsburgh's own Waskowicz matches the team record with a seven-goal performance, adding an assist as well. O'Donnell also ties her own team mark with six caused turnovers, the seventh and final time she'd reach that mark.
April 22: Behind five-goal days from Cara Hernandez and Engel, the Colonials trounce LIU Brooklyn 19-11 at the Joe, thus sweeping a two-game homestand. However, despite a 5-4 record in the NEC, RMU again falls a game shy of the tourney field for the third time in four years.
April 26: RMU places three players on All-NEC teams, with O'Donnell's 39 caused turnovers (third in the nation) helping her make the First Team again, while Waskowicz (38 goals, 45 total points) makes the Second Team. Mossop qualifies for the All-Rookie team after earning three weekly honors during the season.

2013

Feb. 16: For the third consecutive year, the Colonials start off on a winning note, dispatching Detroit 13-7 at Joe Walton Stadium. Sophomore Jessica Rutherford shines with four goals as RMU starts what would become a five-year series against the Titans.
March 2: RMU improves to 3-0 for the first time in team history with an 18-7 victory at Niagara. Freshman attacker Emily Jamison scores five goals, giving her 11 in her first three NCAA games, while classmate Corey Karwacki notches four goals to raise her early total to 10.
March 16: With a 9-6 win at Liberty, the Colonials snap a three-game losing streak and finish with their first-ever winning record (4-3) in non-conference play. Junior goalie Pentz denies 10 shots to help douse the Flames in Lynchburg, Va.
March 30: The Colonials take down Wagner 12-7 on Staten Island, their seventh win over the Seahawks in a row. Sophomore attacker Kristin Yoviene puts up five goals to give her nine on the two-win New York City trip that started at LIU Brooklyn. Underclassmen accounted for all three of RMU's five-goal games on the season.
April 12: Robert Morris nets a 12-goal first half en route to a 21-10 romp at Saint Francis, lifting RMU's NEC record to 4-3. Freshman midfielder Brittany Byerly, from the Pittsburgh suburb of Wexford, continues her impressive scoring clip with four goals.
April 19: In a loss to Quinnipiac, Jessica Karwacki wins 25 draws, setting a team record that still stands.
April 21: The Colonials drop their final match of the year, 16-8 at Sacred Heart, to finish in seventh place in the 10-team league. It's the first time since 2006 that RMU came up more than a win short of making the NEC tournament. Still, for the third time in five seasons, Phillips' team claims at least eight victories, with the 2013 squad coming in at 8-8 overall.
April 25: Byerly claims RMU's lone spot on the All-NEC First Team, after leading the Colonials in goals (32), points (44), ground balls (31) and caused turnovers (14). Both Byerly and Jessica Karwacki make the All-Rookie squad, after Karwacki set a team record with 152 draw controls, a mark that also led the league and the country. 
 

2014

Feb. 22: Four Colonials record hat tricks -- Yoviene, Byerly, Jessica Karwacki and Corey Karwacki -- as RMU outlasts Niagara 16-13 in Moon Township to open its 10th season of D-I lacrosse. 
March 3: With a 15-14 overtime victory over visiting Oregon, RMU sweeps a three-game homestand to start the season, although this one took place indoors on the Pitt campus due to wintry weather. The Ducks scored first in overtime, but Yoviene's fourth of the day forged a tie, followed by junior Jessica Rutherford's game-winner with under a minute to play.
March 9: RMU rallies from 5-3 down at the half to beat Detroit, 12-11, and improve to 4-0 for the first time in team history. Dueling four-goal games from Byerly and Corey Karwacki pace the comeback in Michigan.
March 14: The Colonials cap a two-game California trip with a 17-8 defeat of St. Mary's. RMU's fifth non-conference win establishes a new program best.
March 22: In slipping past Liberty 10-9, the Colonials win their fourth in a row on home turf -- a first in team history.
April 6: Jessica Karwacki scores three of her team-high four goals in the opening five minutes as the Colonials pull away from LIU Brooklyn, 16-9, to sweep an NEC weekend at home. RMU improves to 6-0 at the Joe and will lose just once there all season.
April 13: A second-half hat trick from sophomore Katie Breeze helps force overtime at Central Connecticut, then Lauren Roberts nets the deciding goal in the second OT for a 9-8 RMU victory. The Colonials move to 9-4, tying the 2009 team's record for wins in a season.
April 18: The Colonials ride a 10-goal first half and five tallies from Jessica Karwacki to hold off Saint Francis, 13-11. It's their team-record 10th win of the year, moving them to 4-1 in the NEC.
April 27: With an 8-3 win over Mount St. Mary's on Senior Day, RMU finishes the regular season at 11-5 and 5-2 in conference, good for third place and the team's second-ever postseason berth.
May 1: Four Colonials are honored by the league's coaches, with Jessica Karwacki the lone one to claim All-NEC First Team after another year atop the NCAA D-I draw control leaderboard. Her twin sister Corey earned Second Team laurels after leading RMU in goals (31) and points (43), joining Yoviene (28 goals, team-best 14 assists) and junior defender Kristi Marks (team-high 37 ground balls).
May 2: On the campus of Bryant, RMU falls 17-7 to Wagner in the NEC semifinals, ending its best season to date. The Karwacki twins combine for three goals and three assists.

2015

Feb. 18: In its 10th meeting against cross-town foe Duquesne, Robert Morris comes close to its first win over the Dukes, but the Colonials fall 17-16 in the second overtime on the campus of Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. Yoviene ties the team record with 10 points, including a career-best six assists.
Feb. 28: Eight players score multiple goals as RMU dominates Howard by a 24-5 final in Washington, D.C., scoring its second of what would become four straight wins. The Colonials would score 78 combined goals during the streak, which also included wins over Cincinnati, Delaware State and Detroit.
March 29: The Colonials spank visiting Campbell 21-16 in the highest-scoring game in team history, finishing non-conference play at 7-2, their best-ever mark entering NEC play. Corey Karwacki and Baukhages each net five goals as RMU reaches 20 goals for the fourth time in nine games.
April 19: In danger of losing their fourth in a row in NEC play, the Colonials pull out a 9-8 triumph over Central Connecticut to stay alive for postseason play. RMU trails 8-7 with two minutes to play, but goals from Yoviene and Jamison move RMU to 2-3 in league with two games left.
April 26: Backed into a corner by a loss at Sacred Heart two days prior, RMU checks all the boxes in a 12-4 playoff-clinching win at LIU Brooklyn on the final day of the regular season. Not only did the Colonials need to win, they had to score at least 10 goals and allow fewer than seven to get the edge in a four-way tiebreaker. Despite finishing with a 3-4 NEC record, RMU makes the tournament for the third time in five years.
April 30: Jessica Karwacki, now the holder of the NCAA career draw controls record, and Marks are named to the All-NEC First Team, while Corey Karwacki and Yoviene make the Second Team. Freshman midfielder Dana Davis was a slam-dunk for the All-Rookie Team after earning four Rookie of the Week honors.
May 1: Despite an 18-10 loss to top-seeded Bryant in the NEC semifinals in Smithfield, R.I., senior Yoviene scores four goals and adds an assist to establish a new single-season RMU record with 71 points (43 goals, 28 assists). For the first time, the Colonials reach double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons.
 

2016

March 4: Following the team's first 0-3 start in 11 years, the Colonials get going with a 17-10 home win over frequent non-conference opponent St. Bonaventure. Senior midfielder Byerly whips in six goals, RMU's first double hat trick since 2011.
March 25: Sophomore Davis scores twice, but the Colonials drop the lowest-scoring game in team history, 5-4 at Detroit.
April 1: Four days after scoring 19 at Central Michigan, RMU nets 18 more in a 14-goal rout over Delaware State at Joe Walton Stadium. The senior trio of Breeze, Corey Karwacki and Jessica Karwacki record a hat trick apiece as the Colonials wrap non-conference play with a 4-5 mark.
April 10: In another low-scoring affair, RMU rallies from a 4-1 first-half deficit to win 6-5 over Sacred Heart at home. Jamison scored her second career last-minute game-winner, with Jessica Karwacki scoring three to close out a two-game weekend sweep at the Joe.
April 17: Robert Morris earns its first win over Bryant since 2012, downing the Bulldogs 10-7 in Rhode Island. The Colonials allow just nine shots on target in gaining a measure of revenge for the previous year's playoff loss.
April 22: Jessica Karwacki sets an NCAA record by scoring a goal six seconds after a draw control in a 13-11 win at Saint Francis in Loretto, Pa.
May 1: Davis' career-best four goals spearhead the Colonials to an 8-6 decision over Mount St. Mary's on Senior Day in Moon Township. Senior Corey Karwacki nets four in the second half to clinch the victory, which locks in a third-place finish in the NEC and a third tourney berth in a row -- a program first.
May 5: Jessica Karwacki becomes the first Colonial to earn three All-NEC First Team nods, joining junior defender Megan Wolfgang at the top of the league charts. Karwacki led RMU with 28 goals, while Wolfgang ranked second on the team with 20 caused turnovers and third in ground balls with 24. Corey Karwacki (team-best 39 points, 15 assists) and Davis (25 goals, team-best 48 ground balls) make the Second Team. Midfielder Maggie Stella qualifies for the All-Rookie team, as well.
May 6: RMU drops a 17-7 NEC semifinal matchup to Wagner on the Bryant campus, but the Colonials' final record of 9-8 marks a third consecutive season above .500.

2017

Feb. 4: In the earliest season opener in program history, RMU nearly overcomes a 10-2 halftime hole, but ultimately falls 11-10 at Bucknell in sub-freezing temperatures. Freshman Annie Sachs debuts in style, scoring twice and assisting on four others.
Feb. 12: RMU falls 9-4 at No. 18 Louisville in its first matchup against a ranked foe since facing No. 18 Ohio State in 2012. 
Feb. 24: The Colonials pound visiting St. Mary's (Calif.) 22-11, good for the third-most goals ever scored by an RMU team in a single game. Freshmen Sachs (four goals) and Mackenzie Gandy (three) lead the way to RMU's second straight 20-goal output, leveling its record at 2-2. Gandy's outburst capped a two-game stretch in which she buried eight.
March 25: In its 12th all-time meeting with Duquesne, Robert Morris breaks through with a 17-6 runaway win over the Dukes. Davis scores a team-high four, while Gandy and Sachs net six points each at Joe Walton Stadium. RMU closes non-NEC play with a 6-4 record and a three-match win streak.
April 9: A career-high six points from Davis (four goals, two assists) boosts RMU to its second straight one-goal NEC win on the road, 15-14 over Wagner on Staten Island. Sachs' free-position shot with 1:07 left serves as the game-breaker, two days after Stella netted the winner in a 7-6 edging of Mount St. Mary's.
April 14: Sophomore Kerri Sayrafe keeps the Colonials' uptempo offense humming with a school-record eight goals in a 22-13 win over Saint Francis. RMU's sixth straight win matches the 2011 team for the longest in team history.
April 21: Sachs goes off for a career-best eight points (five goals, three assists) as the Colonials claim another one-goal decision, 14-13 over Central Connecticut in Moon Township. RMU's program-record seventh win in a row lifts its NEC record to 4-0 and a first-place standing with three games left.
May 4: After posting an incredible 51 goals and 78 total points -- both team records -- Sachs cleans up at the NEC postseason awards, claiming Midfielder of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First Team honors. Davis (34 goals, 58 ground balls) and senior defender Megan Wolfgang (53 ground balls, 43 caused turnovers) join Sachs on the First Team, while Gandy makes the Second Team with a 56-point debut. Gandy, Sachs and Meghan Crouse (34 caused turnovers, 51 draw controls) make the All-Rookie Team.
May 5: For the fourth straight season, RMU's season ends in the NEC semifinals, with third-seeded Wagner pulling the 12-10 upset of the second-seeded Colonials. RMU outscored the Seahawks 7-5 in the second half, but a slow start was too much to overcome. Regardless, the Colonials match the 2014 team with 11 overall wins, five of those in conference.
   

2018

Feb. 17: Following a double-overtime loss to Bucknell in the season opener, RMU gets its 2018 going by squeezing past Duquesne, 10-9. Crouse capped a three-goal Colonials rally with a free-position shot at a frigid Rooney Field in Pittsburgh. The win is the first at RMU for new head coach Katrina Silva, who took over for Phillips over the winter.
March 18: Junior attackers Kerri Sayrafe and Shannon Lynch score a hat trick each as Robert Morris snaps a four-game losing streak with an 11-6 win over St. Bonaventure in Moon Township. RMU had gone nearly six years since last losing four straight.
March 24: Behind a program-record 18 saves from junior goalie Katelyn Miller, the Colonials down Louisville, 13-12 at Joe Walton Stadium. Davis nets four to pace the offense, but the defense comes up big over the final four minutes to squelch a Cardinals rally.
April 27: With a dominating 21-5 defeat of Sacred Heart, RMU clinches a winning record in the NEC for the third straight year and the eighth time in 10 years. Pittsburgh native Lynch leads the charge with six points on three goals and three assists.
April 29: Lynch keeps the hot streak going with a record-setting eight-assist performance against LIU Brooklyn. RMU prevails 18-8 to close the regular season with three wins in a row, clinching its sixth straight year at .500 or better.
May 2: Davis leads three Colonials who make the All-NEC First Team, as she scored 20 goals in addition to ranking in the top three on RMU in draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers. Leading scorer Lynch (23 goals, 46 total points) and sophomore defender Kelly Colegrove (NEC-leading 36 caused turnovers) make the First Team for the first time. 
May 3: The Colonials trail by just one at the half, but second-seeded Wagner pulls away for a 13-9 decision in the NEC semifinal round on the campus of Bryant. Despite the sour finish, RMU is one of three teams -- along with Wagner and Bryant -- to make the NEC tournament for five straight seasons.
June 5: Davis, who graduated RMU with a degree in nursing and a 3.96 GPA, is named the NEC's Student-Athlete of the Year, a first in team history. Davis also participated in the IWLCA All-Star Game, one of 44 athletes nationwide to get the nod.

2019

Feb. 16: The Colonials open their 15th season against first-year Kent State, downing the Golden Flashes 11-6 in northeast Ohio. Freshmen Bailey Christianson and Kelsey Nelson score two each as Silva's second season in charge begins in winning fashion.
Feb. 20: RMU wins its first overtime game in nearly five years, 11-10 over Canisius, as senior Sophia Eureka scores the sudden-death winner shortly after goalie Miller stops a free-position shot. This was the first time in 11 all-time meetings the Colonials had beaten the Golden Griffins.
Feb. 27: Miller matches her own team record with 18 saves in the Colonials' hard-fought 10-7 loss to Liberty at Joe Walton Stadium. 
March 23: Junior twins Mackenzie and Melanie Gandy run the show in a 13-12 home overtime win over Radford, with Mackenzie tallying a career-high seven points (five goals, two assists) and Melanie adding six (three goals, three assists).
March 30: RMU pulls away late in its first-ever matchup against Drexel, prevailing 13-10 in Philadelphia. The Colonials head into conference play on a four-game win streak and match the program record with a 7-2 mark in non-league play.
April 12: Senior attacker Sayrafe does herself one better, firing in nine goals in an 18-5 dispatch of Saint Francis in Moon Township. Her nine goals matches a season-high across all of Division I women's lacrosse. The achievement comes almost two years to the day after Sayrafe scored eight to set the previous RMU single-game record. Not to be forgotten, Melanie Gandy dishes out a career-high six assists and eight total points.
April 26: The Colonials score a key 12-11 triumph over Bryant on home turf to stretch their win streak to four. RMU had lost six of seven to the Bulldogs, including three straight at the Joe. Mackenzie Gandy delivers another late winner from free position, her team-best 40th of the season.
April 28: Mackenzie Gandy accounts for seven points (two goals, five assists) for the second time in her junior year, boosting the Colonials to an 18-5 defeat of Central Connecticut on Senior Day. The victory is RMU's 12th of the season, a program first, and locks up a sixth consecutive NEC tournament berth.
May 1: As the third Colonial to ever reach 70 points in a season, Mackenzie Gandy leads a group of three to make the All-NEC honor roll. Gandy and defender Colegrove (NEC-leading 46 caused turnovers) make the First Team, while junior defender Madison Burke (35 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers) makes the Second Team.
May 2: For the fourth straight year, RMU's season ends at the hands of Wagner, 12-11 in an NEC semfinal on the campus of Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials' closest postseason call to date showcases the talents of Mackenzie (four goals) and Melanie Gandy (four assists), plus senior snipers Lynch and Sayrafe, each of whom recorded a hat trick. Miller stops 12 as her stalwart streak of appearances reaches a team-record 53.

MORE TO COME ...