MOON TOWNSHIP — A gloomy Saturday afternoon ended in heartbreak for the Robert Morris women’s lacrosse team after the team fell at home in the MAC Championship Game. The Colonials would lose to the Zips by a score of 11-10 in overtime, with the Zips going on a 7-1 run to end the game.
The comeback seemed far fetched considering the deficit Akron faced early in the game and the circumstances with the Colonials being the top seed and at home, but from the early outset, it looked like the Zips wouldn’t be a team to roll over.
It was a heavy defensive effort early in the first quarter. Akron would capitalize off an RMU turnover to score the first goal of the game. RMU would quickly respond through Samantha Brothers. Akron would take the lead right back after being a woman up following a foul from Gia Anthony.
But the Colonials’ top performers all season would help the team swing the game, with Jenna Irwin and Vivian LeMange both contributing to take a 3-2 to end the first quarter.
The freshman standouts wouldn’t go away in the second either, as the Colonials would score two quick fire goals in the span of 40 seconds thanks to Mia Berthoff and LaMange again.
Akron wouldn’t go away though, and the Zips would score a goal of their own to cut the deficit to one before halftime, entering the break down 5-4.
The Colonials would open up the second half with a fiery offensive display, and it looked like it could be a blowout for the team in the red, white, and blue. RMU would score four goals in the span of six minutes, extending the score to 9-4.
Akron would call a timeout after the fourth goal, and once the team re-entered the field, they never looked back. Akron would score five unanswered goals to tie the game up at 9 a piece.
The Colonials would wait until the final minute to regain the lead through a Samantha Brothers rebounded shot off a free possession goal. But again, Akron would show their resilience and score with 21 seconds left to once again tie the game at 10.
Entering overtime at home for the second time in three weeks, the Colonials would get an effort on net hit the crossbar before Akron would counter quickly, and find the championship winning goal, upsetting the top seeded Colonials at home.
The team’s unsuccessful bid at a repeat in the conference comes at a cost, as of course the team now ends their season having missed out on a consecutive bid to the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Courtney Grove will now undergo a revamping of her team with 10 seniors set to leave the team this off-season, including top performers like leading scorer Jenna Irwin, starting goalie Sydney Riker, and long-term starters Abbie Elliott and Taylor Cadeau.
On the bright side the underclassman performances, especially from freshmen, have highlighted an underrated season from the reigning MAC Champions. Attacker Vivian LeMange, and midfielders Mia Berthoff and Jade Doldo, have all shined in big moments, including today, where all three recorded at least one contribution on the stat sheet.
The Colonials now enter the off-season coming off the back of a 8-11 overall finish, and their fourth straight MAC championship appearance.
