MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Top-seeded UMass (15-2, 7-0 MAC) defeated fourth-seeded Robert Morris (6-12, 3-4 MAC) with a final score of 14-5 in a neutral-site match at Joe Walton Stadium on Thursday. The Minutewomen secured the victory with 11 unassisted goals and a strong defensive performance, limiting the Colonials to just five goals. With the win, UMass moves on to the championship match on Saturday against the winner of second-seeded Akron and third-seeded Eastern Michigan at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

UMass began the first quarter with a strong defensive stand, forcing a turnover by Robert Morris early on. After multiple turnovers from both teams, Katie Peterson capitalized on a free position attempt at 10:35, scoring the first goal of the game. The Minutewomen continued their momentum with goals from Katie Onderdonk and Kassidy Morris, who netted two goals at 8:17 and 6:17, respectively. With further contributions from Ava Connaughton and another goal by Onderdonk assisted by Morris, UMass ended the quarter leading 6-0 while effectively controlling draw controls and maintaining an aggressive offense.

UMass maintained control throughout the second quarter, beginning with a dominant draw control by Cate Marshall. The Minutewomen capitalized on a free position attempt when Brigid Manning scored her 12th goal of the season at 5:43, extending their lead. Sienna Diglio added to the advantage with a goal at 3:24, marking her second of the season. Despite a late response from Robert Morris, with Lea Otts scoring off an assist from Mia Berthoff at 0:14, UMass closed the quarter leading 8-1.

UMass maintained its lead as the third quarter unfolded, despite a push from the Colonials. Berthoff scored for the Colonials at 11:14, bringing their total to three. The Minutewomen responded with consistent pressure, including a free position goal by Morris at 1:06, extending their lead to 9-3. Strong defensive plays were evident throughout the quarter, with successful draw controls by Marshall and key turnovers forced by the UMass defense.

UMass secured a confident victory in the final quarter, outscoring Robert Morris 5-2. Berthoff of the Colonials opened the scoring with a goal at 13:48, but UMass quickly responded. Lil Hancock scored at 11:56, followed by Dylan Lyons at 8:58. Morris added to the lead with a free position goal at 2:24, and Connaughton scored at 1:30. Lyons capped off the scoring with a player-up goal assisted by Vivian LaMange at 0:46. The Minutewomen controlled the draw controls, with Marshall and Bridget Valentine each securing crucial possessions.

Postgame Quotes
UMass Head Coach Jana Drummond
"You know, being on their home field, they had a lot to play for and anything can happen in these games. They came up with a fight and they definitely pushed us, which was great to see and prepare us.

"For us, every team that we're playing is brand new and we don't know what they're going to throw at us. You can watch film, but it's totally different being here out on the field. I'm really proud of this group's ability to adjust, adapt, and play as one. It's been really fun and just a different challenge for us to face, which is amazing.

"Once we get back to our fundamentals and just the UMass way, we'll be good. We had a ton of shots and a lot of pipes today, but we don't mind those looks at all because they're getting the shots off finding those a little bit of a 1 centimeter to another direction, and those are goals. I'm really proud of the effort they put in those different looks in there. I think if we can clean that up, we'll be golden."

UMass redshirt senior attacker Kassidy Morris
"It's definitely surreal. It's our first time in the conference, so it's really awesome that we finally made it to the championship. We've talked about it all season, so now that we've finally made it, it's an awesome feeling for sure.

"Our goalkeeper, we can't ask for much more. She's amazing in cage and all the defenders in front of her, they make it really hard for the top personnel to score. Now the offensive end, I mean, being a face guard, it's hard and stuff, but my attackers around me. They are just so awesome with working with me and trusting me to catch that feed and just bearing that shot and every person on the attacking end was a force today. 

"Definitely not letting those shots affect me and just helping me honestly as fuel to the fire and just keep going to the cage and just taking that extra second and putting it on net rather than hitting the post or hitting the goalie. That happened to us a few times today, just having more patience when we get those opportunities, not getting too excited and shooting too fast, just kind of taking a second before we shoot."

Kassidy Morris

----------------------

- 4 goals

- 10 shots

- 8 shots on goal

Ava Connaughton

----------------------

- 2 goals

- 4 ground balls

- 4 shots

Cate Marshall

----------------------

- 12 draw controls

Marisa Gatz

----------------------

- 3 caused turnovers

- 3 ground balls

Mia Berthoff

----------------------

- 3 goals

- 1 assist

- 4 shots on goal

Taylor Cadeau

----------------------

- 1 goal

- 2 free position shots

- 1 draw control

Lucy Carney

----------------------

- 14 saves

- 3 ground balls

- 40 shots faced