FINAL STATS

Staten Island, NY – Kristin Yoviene scored five goals and assisted on another as Robert Morris overccame an early 4-2 deficit to post a 12-7 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over Wagner at sun-splashed Hameline Field.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 5-7 on the season, 1-3 in the NEC while the Colonials reach the .500 mark in both overall and league play as they move to 6-2, 2-2 in conference play.

With the score tied at 2-2, senior attacker Annie O'Connor (Syracuse, NY/ Westhill) struck for consecutive goals over a 32-second span for Wagner. At 18:52, she found the back of the cage after receiving a feed from freshman Shea Gegan (Manasquan, NJ/ Manasquan) to make it 3-2. Then, at the 18:25 mark, sophomore Jessica Mills (Vernon, NJ/ Vernon Township) hit a cutting O'Connor and the 5-11 senior did the rest, burying a shot from 10 yards out to put Wagner out in front 4-2.

Undaunted, Robert Morris answered with a 4-0 run in just 3:29 to seize a 6-4 lead. Emily Jamison started the run with a goal at 15:34, which was followed by goals from Brittany Byerly, Emily Vandyne before Yoviene capped the surge with a goal at 12:03 that made it 6-4. 

After nearly nine scoreless minutes, Gegan nailed a free –position shot with 3:09 to go in the half to make it a one-goal game at 6-5. The Colonials would counter with a Byerly goal at 1:36 which gave Robert Morris a 7-5 halftime edge.

The Colonials opened the second half with a 3-0 run in stretching their lead to 10-5. Yoviene and Vandyne each scored within the first three minutes of the half to make it 9-5 at 27:11. Following a 10:43 dry spell between the teams, Mills sank a free-position shot at the 13:38 mark to make it a 10-6 game. The teams then went another 8:41 without a score until freshman Kimmy Tumolo (Mullica Hill, NJ/ Clearview) chased down a loose ball in the left corner, sprinted towards the middle of the field ,and hit Gretchen Fay in stride (Spring Lake Heights, NJ/ Manasquan). The freshman buried her shot from straight on, 15 yards out to draw Wagner within 10-7 at the 4:57 mark.

This would prove to be Wagner's final goal of the game as the Colonials notched two late tallies in fashioning the 12-7 win. In addition to Yoviene's five-goal, one-assist day, Robert Morris received three goals and two assists from Vandwyne while Byerly added three goals and one assist. Kaitlin Pentz went the distance in goal for Robert Morris, coming up with seven saves in notching the win.

For Wagner, Gegan led with three points on two goals and an assist while forcing a game-high five caused turnovers. O'Connor also had two goals for the Seahawks while Mills, Fay and senior Erika Bulken (Baldwinsville, NY/ C.W. Baker) each chipped in with a goal apiece. Freshman Katie Ferraro (Owings Mill, MD/ McDonogh) turned away six shots in goal.

The Colonials held a 27-20 lead in shots and held a healthy 17-3 margin in draw controls while Wagner had the advantage in the ground ball department at 18-15.

The Seahawks are next in action on Sunday, April 7 when they travel to Hamden, CT to meet NEC rival Central Connecticut in a 1:00 pm start.