Women’s soccer looks to win fourth in a row for the first time since 2016

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Samantha Dutch

Women’s soccer celebrates a goal against Valparaiso.

Samuel Goldberg

Women’s soccer has been a pleasant surprise on campus to start the year. In their non-conference games thus far, the Colonials have won three games in a row defeating Canisius, Delaware State, and Hampton. RMU looks to win its fourth-straight game for the first time since 2016 against Green Bay this Thursday on the road.

The last time they won four in a row:

In 2016, the Colonials, still in the Northeast Conference, took down LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, FDU and Wagner all with the same score of 1-0. In that span, the Colonials had four different goal scorers, escaping by the skin of their teeth with some good luck in each of the four games. It was a high note for Robert Morris that year as they struggled during their season, going 6-12 overall and 4-4 in conference play with all four wins coming consecutively.

How has it happened?

The Colonials this season look like a brand new team with crisper passing and overall play following a 1-8 season during their COVID season. They are still getting used to the speed at which each of their teammates play at, but ultimately, this squad looks ready to compete in the Horizon League and grab history again for the program. So far the Colonials are 4-4 on the season and have rattled off three consecutive wins in non-conference play.

RMU has seen a surge in goal-scoring over this stretch, scoring an average of 2.67 goals per game in their last three as opposed to just one goal per game in their previous five. These performances have been aided by strong shot outputs, averaging 19 shots per game.

Their goaltending and defensive suppression has been even better, allowing just three goals on 17 total shots during this sequence. It seems like the team has finally gelled together and looks promising for the remainder of the year.

Who has shined?

Kayla Veloso-Lima has led the way for RMU as she has two goals in three games, both coming at Hampton, and Haleigh Finale also has five assists, three of which coming against Hampton. The goaltending tandem of Courtney Worstell and Isabella Bohlen have also been strong.

Who’s up next?

The upcoming matchup for the Colonials will be the first matchup ever against Green Bay. The Phoenix, so far on the season, are 3-0-1. This will be uncharted territory for the Colonials as they need to watch for McKayala Kertscher who posted a hat-trick in their last match. She leads all scorers on that team with four goals.

The trip to Green Bay is a tough one, sitting at just over ten hours. This game can prove to be an important watermark for Robert Morris, as if they get their legs under them after a long bus trip and put up a good performance, they can do a lot for the rest of their season.

Time will tell if the Colonials can win their fourth straight again this Thursday. You can catch the game on ESPN+ or through the Colonial Gameday app.