Preview: Setting new standard as repeat contenders, ‘grittier’ Robert Morris women’s soccer host IU Indy in Horizon League playoff

For the second consecutive year, the RMU women’s soccer team will host the quarterfinal round of the Horizon League Championship Tournament.

Under the guidance of first year Head Coach, Michelle Rick, the Colonials earned a home playoff match, and will face IU Indy on Sunday. (1:00 PM at AHN Montour Junction Sports Complex) looking to repeat and build on success they had in last year’s postseason, when it was all new against what appears to be a wide-open field in the Horizon League.

“Lot of parity in the Horizon League” Rick said last week on Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast.

“It’s been 10 years since I was a player in the league. For me, as a first year coach, in Division I, this (season) has been a really great learning experience for me and my coaching staff to help this program get to the next level, and be repeat contenders.”

RMU (5-6-6, 4-3-3 #HLWSOC) comes into the quarterfinal following a season finale loss to YSU, with Taylor Day netting the team’s lone goal off assists by a pair of former WPIAL standouts, Haleigh Finale (South Park) and Paloma Swankler (Norwin).

Rick has been happy to see how her team has become more structured defensively, despite the loss in the regular season finale, as goalkeeper Brenna Murray reached the milestone of 200 career saves, including three in Wednesday’s match vs Youngstown State.

“We have evolved defensively, especially proud of the work that the back line has put in to become much more organized,” Rick stated.

“In the press, the entire team has become more collective and we’ve become more fit as a team, so we can press and put real pressure on opponents throughout each game, and create chances off of that. But collective defending has been a huge point of emphasis for us, the team bought into it, and we’ve been rewarded — and our keeper, Brenna Murray has had an excellent season, which has been great for us.”

This past week, Murray was awarded the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award for 2024, making it the second consecutive year an RMU player has received this honor.

While defending as a unit has been important, they’ve also had to continue adjust to the style of play in a league that can be a grind.

“The Horizon League is very physical. There’s a lot of aerial play, which isn’t necessarily the type of play we’re going for and was not what the team was set up to do, but because that’s the direction where the league goes, we’ve spent a lot of time on. Can we be grittier as a team, adapt to that physical element that tends to come in the Horizon League, and I give the team a ton of credit to the players for rising to the challenge and compete at this level to do what we want.”

Finale, Swankler, and Ava Tretheway each earned All-League Second Team honors.

Swankler led the team with 17 points (six goals, five assists), ranking third in the league, while Finale posted 11 points, and Tretheway added a goal and four assists from the midfield. Madison Hurst (Hampton) was named to the All-Freshman Team, tallying three assists over 16 games with five starts.

“As far as attacking, we’ve been pushing them to find goals in terms of productivity and places that aren’t typical of them. Focusing on wide play and getting on the end of service, and the quality of both service and runs of box,” Rick explained.

RMU found themselves trailing in a couple different matches, putting their renewed emphasis on pressing and productivity to the test.  They came through with some exhilarating results, with late goals to earn a pair of draws, then last weekend, rallying for two goals to beat Wright State.

Down early, Robert Morris women stay focused and rally for dramatic, playoff clinching 2-1 win over Wright St

The Colonials now face their biggest test of the season as the postseason arrives — reaching and potentially exceeding expectations in the conference postseason.

IU Indy (5-10-3, 4-4-2 #HLWSOC) enters the quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed after a 3-0 loss in their season finale. Forward Caroline Kelley leads the Jaguars with five goals, while junior Emma Frey has 13 points (four goals, five assists) and leads the team in minutes played. Goalkeeper Ashton Kudlo has started all 18 games, recording three shutouts. Frey, Kudlo, and Kelley received All-League honors, with freshman Keilah Muldrow joining Hurst on the All-Freshman Team.

Sunday’s match-up pits the Colonials against a team they’re looking to get their first win against.

Since joining the Horizon League in 2021, RMU is 0-2-2 against IU Indy.

Their most recent matchup ended in a 1-1 tie earlier this season, with Swankler equalizing off a corner by Tretheway in the 66th minute.

Rick believes that her team has been through a lot of ups and downs this year, having tested themselves with a tough non-conference schedule and then earning results in conference play has them in position to make a run in the tournament.

“We want to be repeat contenders. We made it to the conference tournament last year. Now, we want to be in position every year to be at the top of the table,” Rick stated.

“To do that, we want to play the best competition we can.  For us, to push the competitive level in non-conference, have prepared us for what we’ve seen in conference play, and the success we’ve been able to have.”

NOTES 

• The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with commentary by Spencer Witt and Damen McDermott.
• The winner of this quarterfinal will advance to the semifinals in Milwaukee, where they will face either No. 1 seed Milwaukee or No. 2 seed Northern Kentucky on Thursday, November 7.