Women's Lacrosse finishes 2-1 in weekend fall ball tournament in Chicago!

On Saturday, October 15^th, twelve of the Lady Eagles participated in the Lakeshore Lacrosse ChiTown Classic Tournament at Montrose Harbor in Chicago. Fall ball is an opportunity for a team to get an early feel for how they work together on the field. This team was also challenged with playing nearly all day with no substitutes. Many of their regular season teammates are still in other sports and have not yet been able to participate. Despite being shorthanded Robert Morris played tough and learned to work together as a team.

In the first game RMU faced Loyola University and had a very effective offense with 11 goals and nearly as many assists. It is unusual for a group of players that are entering their first game together to be able to move the ball so effectively to the goal. The Eagles had a balanced attack with most of their offensive players scoring. The defense kept Loyola on their heels and only allowed 1 goal the entire game. Goalie Santana Osterhus finished the game with five saves and was awarded MVP of the game by the tournament committee. Other key leaders were Lizbeth Olvera adding four goals for the Eagles and Meghan Brady with two goals and five assists. Other goal contributors were Nora Becker and Ashley Deutschlander with two goals apiece and Kaity Coyle with a goal.

The second game was against a talented and offensive University of Illinois. Robert Morris started off the game with the first goal and would trade goals with U of I until the Illini started getting control of the draw and would eventually outscore RMU 12-5. Kelsey Neville led the defense for RMU with four ground ball controls. Other contributors were Heather Tisue getting two of the four draw controls that game. Meghan Brady was awarded MVP of the game by Lakeshore Lacrosse after adding three goals and an assist for the Eagles.

The final game was against University of Chicago. The field conditions for both teams were poor as the grass was completely worn and the surface was very loose. Chicago was also playing shorthanded this game so we held a couple players out to compete fairly. The offense took advantage of fast break opportunities that existed as a result of fewer players congesting the field, and the defense played clean and strong. Maway Hne was able to convert three fast break situations into goals for RMU (two after getting the ball right off of the draw). Alinda Atade-Nangui had her best game of the day playing both on the attack and defensive ends and grabbing three ground balls. Meghan Brady earned her second MVP award during this game after scoring five goals, netting three draw controls and causing a turnover for University of Chicago.  The Eagles finished the game with a 10-4 victory and finished the tournament with two wins and one loss.

“It was great to see all the family and friends who came out to support Robert Morris University Women’s Lacrosse for this great start to the 2011-2012 season,” stated Eagles Head Coach Allison Galindo.