Last season, the Robert Morris University men’s lacrosse team triumphed over the Bellarmine Knights, 9-8, to kick off the 2012 campaign. In this year’s contest however, the score was the same, but the result was different.
The Knights emerged victorious Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium, knocking off the Colonials, 9-8.
Last year’s Northeast Conference coach of the year, Drew McMinn, falls to 1-1 in season openers with the loss.
The Colonials took an early advantage 1:30 into the match courtesy of a goal by Jake Hayes, who started the season where he left off. Last year, Hayes notched 42 goals and 19 assists in 15 games.
50 seconds after Hayes’s goal, Michael Ward, of the Knights, netted one of his own to tie the score at one apiece.
As the first half drew to a close, the Colonials led 7-5.
Robert Morris true freshman, Luke Laszkiewicz, tallied three goals of his own, which makes him the first Colonial to have a hat trick in the season opener since 2005, the program’s first season in the NCAA.
The Colonials managed to go just 2-4 while on the man-up opportunity, with a goal by Taylor Graves at the 13:46 mark of the second quarter and another by Laskiewicz at the 3:25 mark of the same quarter.
As the second half was set to begin, the Knights made a surprising goaltending change and went from senior Will Haas to Dillon Ward. The decision paid off incredibly well for the Knights, as Ward made a total of nine saves and allowed just one goal.
The Colonials are scheduled to host the University of Maryland – Baltimore County for the first time in team history on Feb. 16 at Noon. The last time the two teams met, the Colonials emerged victorious by a final score of 10-8.
