Click Here For NEC Tournament Headquarters
Click Here For Boxscore
  
Syracuse, NY — No miracle finish was needed this time.

After surviving a semifinal thriller with a buzzer-beating goal in regulation and an overtime game-winner, second-seeded Robert Morris left nothing to chance in Saturday’s NEC Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The Colonials erupted for 10 straight goals in the first half and powered past fourth-seeded Detroit Mercy, 17-8, in Syracuse.

The win earned RMU (11-5) its third NEC men’s lacrosse title, adding to its back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. The Colonials’ three crowns now rank second-most in NEC history

Saturday’s showing was also one for the record books. The Colonials set NEC Tournament finals records for goals (17) and margin of victory (9), putting an emphatic stamp on the program’s return to the top in the revivial of NEC men's lacrosse after a two-year hiatus.

The offensive outburst was all the more impressive given that it came against a Detroit Mercy (6-7) team riding a five-game win streak and coming off a semifinal victory over top-seeded Le Moyne, where they allowed just three goals, an NEC Tournament record low.  The result mirrored the teams’ regular season meeting in March, a 19-4 Robert Morris win in Detroit.

Junior attacker Calum Brennan (Kingsville, Ontario/Kingsville District (Howard CC)) continued his postseason tear, scoring a game-high four goals in the final to finish with a tournament-record 12 goals and earn him NEC Tournament MVP honors. Brennan had already made history in the semis, stealing the show by pouring in a tournament single-game record eight goals, including the golden goal in overtime, to lift RMU past LIU in one of the wildest finishes in NEC playoff history.
 
Detroit Mercy opened the scoring, with Andrew Parker (Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion) finding the back of the cage just one and a half minutes into play.

The Colonials, however, showed no mercy, scoring ten unanswered goals over a 20-minute span of play to take control.

NEC Offensive Player of the Year David Burr (Glassboro, NJ/St. Augustine) kicked off the attacking rampage and Brian Simmons (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox Secondary) scored his first goal of the season to give Robert Morris a 2-1 lead. Goals from Joel McCormick (Maple Ridge, British Columbia/Royal Bay Academy) and Tommy Mullikin (Paris, KY/Sayre School) saw Robert Morris head into the second quarter with a 4-1 lead.

The second quarter was a massive blow for the Titans, with the Colonials scoring six goals in the opening eight minutes, highlighted by back-to-back goals scored by Brennan, both assisted by all-conference second teamer Nick Pelletier (Ottawa, Ontario/The Hill Academy). 

Trailing 10-1 late in the quarter, UDM's Chase Mahabir (Midland, MI/Midland) and Aidan Bishop (Brighton, MI/Detroit Catholic Central) stopped the bleeding, but the Titans were faced with an eight-goal deficit heading into the break.

UDM made its push in the third quarter.

The Titans drew first blood as Malakhi Berry (Minnetonka, MI/Hopkins) scored his first-ever collegiate goal and teammate Nolan Graalman (Rockford, MI/Rockford) quickly followed, but Bobby Reaume (Beverly Hills, MI/Brother Rice) responded for the Colonails.  Parker and Bishop each found the back of the net in the final minute of the period, cutting RMU’s lead to 12-7 heading into the final 15 minutes.

After scoring just once in the third quarter, RMU flipped the script in the fourth, putting the game away early with three goals in the first five minutes. Brennan cashed in two more tallies in the final frame as the Colonials slammed the door on any hopes of a Titans comeback.

Pelleitier finished with two goals and three assists on the day for the Colonials, while Burr and Kean Moon (Calgary, Alberta/All Saints) both cashed in twice.

Parker led the way for the Titans with two goals and two assists, while Bishop chipped in with two goals and an assist. 

Robert Morris sophomore goalkeeper Nate Fechter (Dresher, PA/Upper Dublin) and his counterpart Ryan Richters (Temecula, CA/Great Oak (Concordia California)) each tallied 10 saves on the day.

Brennan was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammtes Nate Fechter ((Dresher, PA/Upper Dublin), Bobby Reaume (Beverly Hills, MI/Brother Rice), and Owen Tapper (Whitby, Ontario/The Hill Academy).
 
The Colonials will find out their first-round NCAA Tournament opponent during the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Selection Show, which will air on Sunday, May 4 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

NEC All-Tournament Team
Calum Brennan, RMU (MVP)
Nate Fechter, RMU
Bobby Reaume, RMU
Owen Tapper, RMU
Kyle Grant, UDM
Andrew Parker, UDM
Ryan Richters, UDM
Maui Wilhelm, LEM
Lucas Winger, LEM
Ryan Fountain, LIU
Mark Regan, LIU