Opportunistic Robert Morris women fall to Yale, 2-1

Kristina Kelley (9) added to her career goal total Sunday. (Jason Cohn/RMU)

FINAL: Yale 2, Robert Morris 1

from Robert Morris University athletic department report 

Robert Morris University women’s soccer team stayed opportunistic on Sunday, but couldn’t maintain an early lead in a 2-1 loss to Yale at the North Athletic Complex.

BOX SCORE

Senior midfielder Kristina Kelley scored her second goal of the season — and 13th of her RMU career — in the 11th minute, with junior Kaele Kloc earning the assist with a beautiful long ball into the Yale box. However, the Colonials (2-4-1) were unable to double down on their Friday afternoon win at Ohio.

“We tried to play a little more defensively, but Yale played well,” RMU head coach John Kowalski said. “We weren’t quite 100 percent. Still feeling the game at Ohio and we didn’t have the same zoom.”

In their first-ever trip to Moon Township, the Bulldogs (4-2-0) launched 22 shots, but all they had to show for that advantage through 70 minutes was an Aerial Chavarin tap-in goal midway through the first half. Much like in Friday’s 1-0 overtime win against the Bobcats, the Colonials proved adept at absorbing pressure and countering dangerously.

But Yale broke the door down when Chole Laureano blasted a shot to the top-right corner following an impressive build-up in the RMU penalty box. Junior keeper Sydney Bruckner (six saves) laid out to try to stop the drive, but it was too well-placed.

With Northeast Conference play just a week away, the Colonials are hoping Sunday’s activity can further prepare them to make a run at their rivals.

“It was a good experience,” Kowalski said. “We had some learning moments that we’ll use in the future. Yale plays very similarly to (NEC foe) Central Connecticut.”

While RMU put just one of its six shots on target, their attacking cohesion appears to be improving. That was evident when Kelley pulled in Kloc’s delivery and calmly stashed it into the right-side netting past Yale keeper Alyssa Fagel. With the score, Kelley claimed solo sixth place on the program’s all-time goal-scoring list.

There was also a highlight on the defensive side, when sophomore defender Courtney Hurey tracked back to save a Chavarin shot that looked destined for the goal. Hurey’s slide backed up a fallen Bruckner, who had challenged in a one-on-one showdown with the Yale attacker.

Robert Morris gets back on the pitch Thursday, facing Akron in its final non-conference game of 2019. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from northeast Ohio.