Robert Morris falls to 0-6 in non-conference play after loss to Cincinnati
Jamie Keller readies for a shot against Cincinnati. Photo credit: Michael Deemer
March 27, 2022
MOON TOWNSHIP– Robert Morris women’s lacrosse (5-6, 5-0 MAC), who came in off a win against MAC rival Youngstown State on Wednesday, hosted their final non-conference game as Cincinnati (6-6) also came to Moon for their non-conference finale.
The Colonials could not carry that momentum gained from YSU as they fell to the Bearcats by a score of 12-8.
It was another cold and snowy day at Joe Walton Stadium for women’s lacrosse. The game started with temperatures around 28 degrees with a wind chill around 13 degrees.
After opening faceoff, the game started with some good defense and goaltending. Both goalies, Sophie O’Brien for the Bearcats and Jamie Keller for the Colonials made stops on free-position attempts.
The scoring started with a goal from Cincinnati’s Kylie Nause, who is ninth in the nation in goals. This would be Nause’s only goal on the day.
The Colonials responded with a goal from Lilli Hadden but were not even for long as Kylie Gioia scored for the Bearcats for a 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcats gained momentum to begin the second as they scored three goals in the first three minutes. A goal by Jenna Irwin for the Colonials started a three-goal run for the Colonials.
Colleen Tifft and Gianna Anthony found the back of the net for the Colonials to make it a one-goal game once again, but a late goal by the Bearcats would send the teams to half with a score of 6-4 Cincy lead.
The third quarter started with goals by Jerica Obee and Julia Koterwas to tie the game, but this would be the last time the Colonials would get close to the Bearcats as Cincinnati would score the next three goals.
In the final 15 minutes of the game, two Colonial goals by Irwin and Obee would not be enough as the Bearcats found the back of the net three more times for a final score of 12-8.
Coach Katrina Silva, who knew it would be a tough matchup coming in, spoke about the team’s loss.
“I don’t think we were mentally there today from start to finish. We bobbled a lot of balls [and] couldn’t pick up a ground ball clean,” Silva said. “Give Cincinnati a lot of credit, they’re fast and athletic, but we need to be more fast and athletic, and today from start to finish was not our day.”
With this loss today, it moves the Colonials to 0-6 on the season in non-conference games, finishing their out-of-MAC play without a win.
When asked about putting together a tough non-conference schedule, Silva noted creating a tournament-like atmosphere was important for a team coming off a first-round loss to Notre Dame last season.
“I wanted to challenge us,” Silva said. “We think we can take care of some things in the MAC, therefore our non-conference games are what are going to get us ready for championships. Challenging ourselves is the best thing we can do.”
The Colonials will get some time off to regroup before their next game when they travel to Detroit Mercy for a Saturday affair on Apr. 2.
