MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The RMU women's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game for the fourth consecutive year with a 13-9 semifinal victory over Detroit Mercy at Joe Walton Stadium.

The Colonials will now look to capture their second straight MAC title and earn another trip to the NCAA regionals.
 
1^st HALF
RMU struck first in the semifinal as Samantha Brothers found the back of the net off a sharp assist from Mia Berthoff. Detroit Mercy responded quickly, with Libby Cuckler—who led the Titans in scoring—netting her first goal at the 8:47 mark. The Colonials then turned up the offensive intensity, scoring two quick goals within 30 seconds from Madison Prietz and Vivian LaMange. RMU controlled the pace early, winning five draw controls in the first quarter compared to just one for the Titans, and entered the second quarter up 3-2.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth offensive showcase, with both teams scoring four goals. Detroit Mercy jumped out with three quick goals and outshot RMU 7-3 in that stretch. With the game tied at 3-3, Jenna Irwin ignited the Colonial offense, scoring three straight goals to give RMU a 7-5 lead. Cuckler added another for the Titans, but the Colonials held a narrow 7-6 advantage heading into halftime.
 
2^ND HALF
The third quarter began slowly, with Chelsea Coleman breaking the scoring drought five minutes in. RMU played strong defensively, forcing a game-high seven turnovers while leading in ground balls and draw controls. The Colonials limited the Titans to just one goal in the quarter, with goalkeeper Sydney Riker tallying three key saves. RMU led 9-7 heading into the final frame.

Detroit Mercy opened the fourth quarter with a quick goal, but RMU responded swiftly as LaMange and Brothers each scored within 30 seconds. After another Titans goal at the 7:24 mark, the Colonials sealed the win with goals from Coleman and Irwin in the final six minutes, closing out the 13-9 victory.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP ASPIRATIONS
The Colonials will now aim to win their first MAC Championship on home turf after falling to Central Michigan at Joe Walton Stadium in the final two years ago. RMU will face either Akron or Eastern Michigan in Saturday's title game—both first-time MAC Championship matchups.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Courtney Grove praised her team's mindset and second-half effort:
"The mindset is they always want to keep going. They never want to stop. And that's a great mindset to have. They want to play together with a winning mentality. We always say you have to play all four quarters. We're a second-half team—keep our legs going, stay fresh, and work hard."
 
Midfielder Jenna Irwin emphasized the team's unity heading into the championship:
"This is a team sport. We all came into this wanting to repeat what we did last year. That's everyone's end goal—win a championship. In this game, no one played individually. We knew we had to work together every quarter, and that's how we pulled it off."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Jenna Irwin led the team with four goals, two assists, four draw controls, and three ground balls.

• Vivian LaMange, in her postseason debut, scored three goals and added an assist.
• Samantha Brothers and Chelsea Coleman contributed two goals each.
• Madison Prietz and Gia Anthony added one goal apiece.
• Sydney Riker earned the win in goal, recording five saves.

 
UP NEXT
RMU advances to the MAC Championship game, set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.