Robert Morris moves to .500 on season after win against MAC rival Youngstown State
Jerica Obee goes for a ground ball during the game against YSU. Photo Credit: Megan Frey
March 23, 2022
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO– Robert Morris (5-5, 4-0 MAC) team traveled to Youngstown to face the Penguins (5-5, 3-1) on a very windy day.
Both teams came into the game undefeated in MAC play, but the Colonials remain top in the conference after defeating Youngstown State by a final score of 18-7.
The weather cleared up just in time for the opening draw and the game started very close where the Penguins had a lot of ball control. While they had more possession, they didn’t convert on their chances, taking nine shots with only two going on goal.
The Colonials’ offense only managed to find the net four times in the first 15 minutes. The goals came from Kelsey Nelson and two from Colleen Tifft, and Julia Koterwas.
The second quarter started with an offensive barrage from the Colonials as Koterwas, Hadden, and Obee scored three goals in under three minutes. Koterwas would add one more on the run and complete the hat-trick.
Head coach Katrina Silva spoke about the team’s current outlook.
“We’re young and completely different from last year,” Silva said, “It has been a push for us to find out who we are, who this team is, and how special they can be.”
The Penguins went on a run of their own, scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes. RMU’s leading goal scorer Jenna Irwin scored her only goal of the day for Robert Morris and the Colonials went go into halftime up by five goals.
At halftime, Jordan Anderson dominated the faceoff circle, winning 13 of 15 draws for the Colonials.
To start the third quarter, RMU had another explosive offensive outburst. Anderson scored two goals in 21 seconds and Tifft and Obee notched hat-tricks of their own.
The Colonials’ defense shut down the Penguins in the second half. The Penguins offense had players who came in ranked high nationally in points, and the Colonials kept them at bay, forcing the Penguins to have numerous amounts of turnovers.
Robert Morris closed out the game with goals from Mackenzie Bell, Kelley Flynn, and at the buzzer Tifft once again to secure the 18-7 win.
Silva remarked that it was not the team’s best performance, but they still found a way to win.
“We’ve had games where we played great. We’ve had games where we struggled, and we’ve had games where we played great and struggled all in the same day,” Silva said. “We had a couple of minutes [today] where it looked like where we didn’t know what we were doing.”
RMU will go on to face Cincinnati at the Joe at Noon on Sunday in a rematch of last year’s bout. Coach Silva spoke about what this game will mean for the roster.
“Last year we played Cincinnati for our fifth game in seven days,” Silva said. “They are a good team and a fast team. It’ll be a great game and a great setup for where we’re trying to go, and it’s our last non-conference game so it’s really important.”
