MOON TOWNSHIP — It was an unseasonably warm afternoon in October as Robert Morris (7-5-4, 1-5-2 Horizon) took on Cleveland State (6-6-3, 3-4-1 Horizon) at the North Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon.

Both sides played reasonably even in the first half, but thanks to some timely offensive attacks, the Vikings pulled away in the second half defeating the Colonials 2-1.

Cleveland State came into today’s game in the last spot in the Horizon League tournament, making this game a must-win for the Colonials.

The Colonials would be down a man, though, as head coach Chris Shaw served his one-game suspension for the red card he received against IUPUI on Sunday.

Despite this, assistant coach Brianna Murgi said not much changed going into the game.

“We didn’t really do a lot different; he was there for practices going into it and scout this morning. All he wasn’t here for was the game, so it really wasn’t that different.”

The Colonials had their season on the line and played like it for the first half.

Through the first 30 minutes, both teams could not find the back of the net, although it was not for lack of opportunities. RMU had six shots, and the Vikings had four, with multiple scoring opportunities.

The Colonials would be the first to break through when a controversial foul occurred after a corner kick, resulting in a penalty shot for Haleigh Finale.

The Cleveland State players and coaches disagreed with the call and made their beliefs known to the referee. This eventually resulted in yellow cards for both Abigail McKeown, who was on the bench, and the team as a whole, due to the actions of assistant coach Carl Contrascier.

When the referees settled the dust, Haleigh Finale took her penalty kick and found the back of the net, giving the Colonials a 1-0 lead. The score would stay the same through the half.

The Vikings would score 11 minutes into the second half on a goal by Kathryn Ramicone, which knotted the score at one goal apiece.

The Vikings would keep their foot on the gas pedal for the rest of the game and scored again with 11 minutes left to give them a 2-1 lead.

The Colonials would attempt to make a comeback but were hit with a scare when Haleigh Finale went to the ground in obvious pain. She would exit the game but would be back before the game ended.

“We originally thought it was a head injury,” Murgi said. But we found out it was her neck. So it is technically a head injury, but she got stepped on. You can see the cleat marks on her neck. But she is going to be ok.”

The Colonials take Youngstown State at home on October 26 for their last season game.