On Saturday afternoon, the Robert Morris University men’s lacrosse team won its home opener against Bellarmine by a score of 10-8.

“We’re very proud of the effort from the guys,” RMU head coach Andrew McMinn said. “A big focus this week was our effort being better than what we brought last week. I thought the guys really rose to that challenge and stepped up to the plate for us.”

Mayfield said the team responded well to the momentum swings throughout Saturday’s game.

“I’m really happy with how everyone responded throughout the game, with all the ups and downs,” Mayfield said. “It was an awesome team win.”

Eight different players scored for RMU on Saturday. Attackers Adrian Torok-Orban and Mayfield both scored twice in the victory. Torok-Orban now leads the team with four goals.

When asked about the team’s scoring balance, Torok-Orban said, “It’s awesome. Having a balanced score sheet is awesome for our team morale. It’s great to get everybody involved in the plays.”

One of the crucial moments of the game occurred with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter. Holding an 8-7 lead, RMU got a key save from goalie Alex Heger, and Torok-Orban scored on the ensuing rush to extend the lead to 9-7.

McMinn said that sequence was a turning point and reflected the pace with which the team wants to play.

“It was huge,” McMinn said. “It was a game of runs. For Heger to come up with that save and then get the ball pushed down to the other end for us, that’s our style of play. That’s the way we want to play the game. It’s huge for our momentum when we come up with plays like that.”

McMinn said that ground-ball play is paramount to the team’s success. On Saturday, the Colonials won the ground-ball battle, 33-21.

“It was a point of emphasis,” McMinn said. “We said that was our effort stat. The guys came out on top in the 50-50 situations, and we got a lot of possessions that came out in our favor.”

RMU held BU to two goals in the fourth quarter. McMinn credits midfielder Zachary Bryant for playing tough against Bellarmine attacker Tucker Ciesseau, who scored three goals in the first half Saturday.

“We really keyed on (Ciesseau),” McMinn said. “He exposed us on all three goals in the first half. And Zach Bryant did a great job defending him.”

RMU plays its next game on the road against Manhattan on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m.