MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The RMU women's lacrosse team secured the No. 4 seed in the upcoming MAC Women's Lacrosse Championship after beating Detroit Mercy 15-5 on Saturday afternoon.

FIRST HALF

The Colonials found quick success, going out to a quick 3-0 lead over Detroit Mercy. Taylor Cadeau started the scoring at 13:19, finding the back of the net off a pass from Lea Otts. Madison Prietz then extended the Colonial lead to three, scoring back-to-back goals, both unassisted, to put RMU up 3-0. The Titans broke up the scoring at 4:40 before the Colonials put up another two on the board to wrap up the first quarter scoring. Madison Prietz picked up a first-quarter hat trick, scoring again at 2:59 to make it 4-1 before Mia Berthoff got in on the action with just 19 seconds left to make it 5-1 at the end of the first. 

A three-goal second quarter by the Colonials would extend the lead to 8-1 going into the half. Berthoff scored at 7:43 for an unassisted goal before Taylor Cadeau got in the stat sheet with an unassisted goal at 3:19. Berthoff then recorded her own hat trick, posting her third goal of the game with 2:48 to end the second quarter scoring. 

SECOND HALF

Second half action started with the Colonials posting a quick three-piece, scoring back-to-back-to-back to go up 11-1. Samantha Brothers got RMU started off with a pass from Lea Otts at 13:12 before Amanda Dolis scored just over a minute later on a dish from Gabi Puzevic to make it 10-1. Berthoff then posted her fourth goal of the game at 8:20 to make it a double-digit lead before Detroit Mercy ended the scoring drought on a woman-up goal from Libby Cuckler to make it 11-2 at the end of the third. 

Once again, the Colonials started the quarter with a 3-0 run to quickly find themselves up by 12. Brothers picked up her second goal of the contest, with Otts once again being credited with the assist. At 7:44, Greta Burns entered the equation, burning one past the keeper off a pass from Taylor Cadeau to make it 13-2 before Cadeau scored another goal of her own, from Otts, to make it 14-2 just under a minute later. The Titans picked up their third goal of the contest to make it 14-3 before the Colonials closed out their fourth quarter scoring with Brothers recording a hat trick of her own off an assist from Natalie Malush, marking Malush's first career assist and point. Detroit Mercy put together a small run, closing out the contest with back-to-back goals to make the final score 15-5.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Colonials' offense was alive, posting a season-high 16 goals led by Mia Berthoff with four. Samantha Brothers, Taylor Cadeau, and Madison Prietz all recorded hat tricks in the win, each securing three goals apiece. Greta Burns and Amanda Dolis wrapped up the scoring, each posting one goal in the win.
• Freshman Lea Otts continues to be dominant in the assist department, posting a career-high six assists, bringing her total to 26 on the season. 
• As a team, the Colonials took 35 shots on the afternoon, with 24 coming on goal. RMU was also nearly perfect in clears, going 21-for-23 on the afternoon.
• In goal, Lucy Carney secured her fifth win of the season, moving to 5-6. Carney recorded seven saves in the win while allowing five goals.

POSTSEASON BOUND

With the 15-5 win over Detroit Mercy and losses by Youngstown State, Central Michigan, and Kent State, the Colonials secured the No. 4 seed in the upcoming 2026 MAC Women's Lacrosse Championship that will begin on April 30. RMU secured hosting the tournament after being the regular season champions last season. 

FIRST ROUND MATCHUP

The Colonials will match up with No. 1 UMass on Thursday morning, with the first draw slated for 11:00 a.m. at Joe Walton Stadium. UMass enters the tournament undefeated against MAC opponents, with the Minutewomen securing a 19-5 win over Kent State to close out their regular season schedule.