MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Robert Morris Men's Lacrosse team's historic season ended on Wednesday evening after falling to Jacksonville 13-7 in the NCAA Tournament Opening Round at Joe Walton Stadium.
Ben Eck led the offensive effort with four goals and one assist, converting seven of his 11 shots on goal, including a man-up goal.
Nate Fechter made 13 saves on 36 shots faced, while
Liam Blakely collected five ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Jack Taylor led the Dolphins with three goals and two assists. Drew Rippeon won 16 faceoffs and picked up 11 ground balls for the visitors.
First Quarter
The first quarter began with the Dolphins taking an early lead, scoring the first goal at 14:32. The Colonials answered back with a goal by Eck, assisted by
Graeme MacLennan, at 12:30 to level the score. Jacksonville then pressed forward, adding two more goals, including a man-up score by Brown. RMU responded with Eck's second goal at 5:50, again narrowing the gap. However, the Dolphins extended their lead with two more goals, concluding the quarter ahead 5–2.
Second Quarter
The Colonials faced a challenging second quarter, with Jacksonville taking early control following a goal by Tate Jones at 12:01. The Dolphins extended their lead with another goal by Krupsky at 4:22. However, RMU responded with a key goal from
Tommy Linehan at 2:57, narrowing the gap momentarily. The quarter concluded with Taylor scoring at 0:29, ending the half with the Dolphins leading 8–3.
Third Quarter
The Colonials struggled to shift the momentum in the third quarter as Jacksonville opened with a goal by Taylor, assisted by Lucas Fraser, just 13 seconds in. Despite several ground ball recoveries by
Zach Tucker and
Nathan Ruff, RMU was unable to capitalize on these opportunities, with multiple shots going wide or being saved.
The Dolphins continued to apply pressure, with Krupsky scoring at 9:03 and Taylor adding another goal at 1:54. The Colonials had a late attempt from
Dylan Anderson saved, and the quarter ended with Jacksonville leading 11–3.
Fourth Quarter
RMU opened the fourth quarter with a goal from
Calum Brennan, assisted by Eck, at 12:52. After conceding two goals to the Dolphins, the Colonials responded with a goal from
Luke Prezioso, assisted by
Evan DiBlasi, at 7:40. This was followed by an unassisted goal from Eck at 7:17 to tighten the contest. Eck added his final goal, assisted by
Luis Gonzalez, at 2:39 to close out the scoring.
The Colonials finish the 2026 campaign at 14-4, while the Dolphins improve to 11-5 and will visit No. 2 seed Notre Dame on Sunday.
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