Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University men's lacrosse team will welcome back former Colonial stars next weekend as it hosts the fourth alumni game in the program's young history.
The game will be played Friday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium and is free and open to the public. The contest is one of the many events at RMU that weekend in which alumni are returning as the University celebrates Homecoming Weekend Sept. 28-29.
More than 25 former RMU men's lacrosse student-athletes will take part in the contest, including multiple Colonials that proceeded to play lacrosse professionally. Since the first four-year class graduated from the program in 2008, former Robert Morris players have claimed nine professional draft selections between Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Additionally, current Colonial assistant coaches who previously played for RMU will also participate in the game.
The 2012 game will be the second alumni contest that is played at night under the lights.
Although Robert Morris played its first Division I season in 2005, the program has quickly developed into an offensive powerhouse with consistent winning ways.
While it claimed its fourth-consecutive winning season in 2012, the Colonials also became the first Division I team to lead the nation in scoring offense in three consecutive seasons since the NCAA started keeping track of such records. RMU has scored 652 goals over its last three seasons, averaging 14.49 goals per outing. Additionally, the Colonials have topped the country in assists per game in each of the past three years, including posting a program-best 9.80 helpers per game in 2012.
Robert Morris claimed its first postseason berth in 2011 in what proved to be a harbinger of things to come. The Colonials registered a program-record 11 wins in 2012, including running through NEC play undefeated to claim the league's regular-season title, the first conference championship of any kind for the program, and also extended their conference winning streak to eight games.
Other highlights of 2012 included RMU knocking off a pair of nationally-ranked squads during the campaign, including a 9-7 road victory at Ohio State, and entering the Nike/Inside Lacrosse national rankings after a six-game winning streak. Head coach Andrew McMinn was named NEC Coach of the Year in voting conducted by his peers as he helped 10 of his student-athletes earn all-conference honors while RMU also claimed the league's Team GPA and Team Sportsmanship Awards.
