Robert Morris made a major step forward as a lacrosse program in 2018, earning its first NCAA tournament berth, collecting a play-in game victory over Canisius and then making an admirable run at defending champion Maryland in the first round.

In some ways, the Colonials have accomplished even more this season, rallying from a 1-7 start to earn a second consecutive Northeast Conference tournament title.

Robert Morris (9-7) has won eight in a row since March 30, including the last three by a goal (and two in overtime). That included an 11-10 defeat of Hobart in the NEC title game to set up a trip to third-seeded Virginia in Saturday’s NCAA tournament first round.

“We tried to stay the course throughout the season, even when the results weren’t going our way,” coach Andrew McMinn said. “We felt we were coming on and not too far off of where we wanted to be.”

It helps to have an offense that rarely sputters. Even when the Colonials were blasted 27-10 at Penn State in the season opener, they got to double digits. They scored 11 at Georgetown, 15 against both High Point and Marquette and 16 at Sacred Heart in losses during the first half of the season.

But an offense with a heavy Canadian influence — four of Robert Morris’ top five scorers are from Ontario — has helped the Colonials average 14.75 goals during their winning streak. Corson Kealey has a team-high 48 goals. Tyson Gibson (27 goals, 35 assists) already has a 60-point season, while Ryan Smith (39 goals, 20 assists) is poised to reach that figure.

But it isn’t a top-heavy offense. The Colonials have five players with at least 34 points and nine with at least 10.

“With how much we push transition and even in settled situations, the premise for us revolves around ball movement,” McMinn said. “If you share the ball and get the ball moving in 6v6, everybody is going to be a benefactor. Guys have to be willing to trust that it will get back to them if everybody has that mentality. We feel like we have enough talent and depth that it doesn’t matter who is at the end. We feel confident it could be any guy.”

One thing is certain for anyone who saw Robert Morris in last year’s postseason: It is not a team merely happy to make a cameo appearance. Plus, it’s already climbed out of a pretty big hole with a core group of players who are prepared for another shot at the NCAA tournament.

“Guys still knew we were capable of getting where we are,” McMinn said. “Our veterans who were part of that experience led the underclassmen and got this moving.”