MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- As it turned out, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team didn't need to win Friday afternoon to clinch its sixth consecutive Northeast Conference tournament berth. Nevertheless, the confidence gained from a 12-11 triumph over Bryant at Joe Walton Stadium should prove invaluable once the postseason begins next week. Junior attacker and leading scorer Mackenzie Gandy set up the most exciting win of 2019 with a free-position goal in the final minute, followed seconds later by a steal that clinched RMU's second win in its past eight meetings with the Bulldogs. Gandy's hero moment tied a bow around what was arguably the Colonials' finest performance of the season. For head coach Katrina Silva, the final sequence was representative of the day in general, a day that saw the Colonials (11-4, 4-2 NEC) extend their win streak to four and reach 11 victories for the third time in 15 Division I seasons. "To see attackers play defense, to see 'Kenz' get the turnover in the last couple of seconds, that's awesome," Silva said. "That shows true love; that shows leadership. I couldn't have been prouder about our defensive effort all the way around." A glance at the turnover category fleshes out that story, as Bryant (7-8, 3-3 NEC) coughed up the ball 21 times to RMU's 10, with the Colonials causing 13 of the Bulldogs' miscues. Robert Morris also had the lion's share of the shots (43-21) and ground balls (24-13), so the outcome seemed quite fair, even though the home team had to fight to the end for it. With the game in the balance, the Colonials executed better than the Bulldogs, perhaps paying off the experience gained from a pair of overtime wins in non-conference play. RMU downed Canisius and Radford in extra time back in March. "We weren't as nervous when the game got close," junior midfielder Clio Kerr said. "We were more collected, because we've been there before. We knew what we needed to do." RMU scored the first three goals of the game and eventually led 6-3 before Bryant scored six in a row to snatch command. But the Colonials netted six of the final eight to guarantee the No. 3 seed in next week's conference tourney at regular-season champ Mount St. Mary's, where Wagner will provide opposition. "When we came back out for the second half," Kerr said, "we wanted to come back out strong again and pick up that energy we came out with in the first place. It was, 'Win a game we know we can win.' " Much like it has been over their previous three wins, Colonials' depth was again evident. Gandy's hat trick was her fourth straight game of three or more -- she become the fifth Colonial to reach 40 goals in a season -- but eight RMU players scored at least once, including critical tying goals late from sophomore Hannah Miller (her fifth of the season) and freshman Kelsey Nelson (her sixth). Senior Kerri Sayrafe and junior Thalia Zolis also scored twice each. "We're playing a really fast style," Silva explained. "We've been working on it and honing it and making it stronger and I thought today was a true testament that when we play fast and we play together, good things happen." The Colonials' high-pressure defense made life difficult for Bryant, which will not host the NEC tournament for the first time since 2013. RMU junior goalie Katelyn Miller saw just 16 shots on target, evidence of how hard the Bulldogs had to work to get set up on the attack. Defenders Kelly Colegrove (four caused turnovers) and Madison Burke (four ground balls) cleaned up the most on the stat sheet. With the defense keeping Bryant's powerful offense restrained, the Colonials' attack could go to work in the closing moments. After that late surge to the finish line, RMU is averaging 15 goals per game during its ongoing four-game run. "The offense got us back in the game," Silva said. "We went back to winning draws. It's those little things, like going for the ball instead of going for a check. All those little pieces add up, especially in a one-goal game. It was pretty dicey out there for a while." After clinching all there is to clinch Friday, RMU can focus on staying sharp during Sunday's game against Central Connecticut. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium as the Colonials go for a program-record 12th victory. "That would be awesome," Kerr said. "We're going to come out Sunday and celebrate our seniors, bust out that game full force and get ready for the conference (tournament)."