On Tuesday, the country’s news cycle was honed in on the theory of “kamikaze dolphins.” Wednesday night at Joe Walton Stadium, it appeared that the Robert Morris lacrosse team was a victim of them.

The Colonials were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the opening round on their home turf by the Jacksonville Dolphins. The Atlantic Sun champions used a precise, coordinated attack to end RMU’s quest to reach the second round with a 13-7 road victory.

“That’s a really good team we played,” Colonials coach Craig McDonald said after his team’s first loss since Feb. 17 . “They are good all over the field. They face off really well. That was a struggle for us. We did a good job adjusting and scrapping. But they dominated possession. The way they played up and down the field, they had a lot of possessions. Ultimately, we had possessions that went empty. Some of them, we want back on the defensive end. We left our hearts out here. The guys played really hard.”

Jacksonville (11-5) didn’t do anything to surprise the Colonials (14-4). They just played their game and played it well.

• The Dolphins boast the country’s second-best scoring defense at 7.40 goals allowed per game. Goalie Ryan Della Rocco’s 7.25 goals-against average is tops in the nation. The Colonials managed 17 shots on goal (34 attempts), and Della Rocco made 10 saves.

• Jacksonville’s scoring offense entered the game fifth in the country at 14.67 goals per game, led by Jack Taylor. His 80 total points to begin the night were tied for the most in the country. He ended the game with three goals and two assists.

William Krupsky chipped in with four goals of his own.

• The Dolphins controlled play in the faceoff circle. Drew Rippeon arrived in Moon with a 62.4 faceoff percentage, eighth in the NCAA. He went on to win 16 of 24 draws on the night.

It was simply a matter of a good Dolphins team playing at a high level, with their best players having a collective hot night.

“We scouted them out really well. We had a couple of really good days of prep,” RMU junior Ben Eck said after a four-goal effort. “The coaching staff did a good job. They had the same motto of trying to kill the transition. Whenever we made a mistake, they did a really good job of executing it and making us pay for the turnovers.”

For the Dolphins, it’s the program’s first NCAA tournament win. They’ll now travel to Notre Dame and face the second-seeded Fighting Irish on Sunday.

“It didn’t hit me until you just said it,” coach John Galloway said. “It’s been such a long time coming for us, getting through the conference. But we want more. More time together … the national lacrosse community is on their TVs watching. You get to play at a program like Notre Dame in South Bend. But we are not going to back down.”

The Colonials had won 13 games in a row. They were looking for their first NCAA victory since a 2018 win against Canisius. The back-to-back NEC champions lost a first-round game to Air Force a year ago.

Mt. Lebanon’s Luke Prezioso had a goal in the defeat. For the sophomore, the loss was particularly bitter. He witnessed the program’s growth since he was a youth player and wanted to be part of its ascent to the second round at Notre Dame.

“It would’ve been awesome. It’s long been a dream of mine to play teams like that. I know one day it will happen. This is a great program. No place I’d rather be,” Prezioso said. “Since I was a little kid, I’d come up to RMU games. All the support from my hometown in Pittsburgh means the world to me.”

Instead, it’s the Dolphins who are swimming on to South Bend, and the Colonials are left looking to put the pieces back together for another run in 2027.

“If you are looking at the chemistry of this team since my freshman year, we’ve done nothing but build year to year,” Eck said. “That’s a testament to the team and to the coaching staff. For as much as this hurts, that’s fuel for next year.”

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