Jack Moreland - Detroit Mercy Athletics

Men's Lacrosse 03.09.26

NEC Championship Rematch Opens Conference Play For UDM

Men's Lacrosse 03.09.26

NEC Championship Rematch Opens Conference Play For UDM

Freshman Jacob Czarnota and the Titans will look for some revenge on Robert Morris.

DETROIT (3/9/2026) -- Northeast Conference play is upon us, and the Titans will start their conference slate against a familiar foe as the University of Detroit Mercy will head to Robert Morris on Saturday.

Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

These two teams met for the NEC title last year as RMU came away with a regular-season win and a victory in the postseason.

Detroit Mercy is coming off a loss at Jacksonville to fall to 1-5 on the year. Last season, UDM was 1-6 before winning five in a row.

Sophomore Andrew Parker leads the team with 15 points and 11 goals. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Thundercloud has 11 points on five goals and a team-high six assists, while freshman PJ O'Hanlon has 10 markers.

Sophomore Canton Lanham has won 53.1% of his faceoffs and tops the team with 36 ground balls, while senior Kyle Grant leads the NEC with 15 caused turnovers. In net, redshirt junior Cooper St. Clair tops the league and is fourth in the nation with 14.17 saves per game.

Robert Morris is 5-3 on the year, with wins over Bucknell, Canisius, and High Point.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Titans and Robert Morris first met in UDM's inaugural 2009 season, an 18-8 loss, as Detroit Mercy is 2-11 all-time in the series.
Last season, the Colonials downed Detroit Mercy, 17-8, in the NEC Championship in a game held at Le Moyne.
Detroit Mercy is looking for its first road win in the series as it has dropped all six visits at RMU.
The match-up has featured a couple of overtime games, with UDM falling 13-12 at RMU in 2024, a 14-13 setback at home in 2011, and an 11-10 home victory in 2015.
Three other games have also been decided by four goals or less.

All-Time Series
Mar.1, 2009 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 18-8
Mar. 13, 2010 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 16-5
Mar. 13, 2011 @ Detroit, MI - L, 14-13 (ot)
Feb. 23, 2013 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 9-5
Feb. 23, 2014 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 11-7
Feb. 21, 2015 @ Pontiac, MI - W, 11-10 (ot)
Feb. 25, 2017 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 15-6
Mar. 4, 2020 @ Detroit, MI - L, 16-13
Apr. 2, 2022 @ Birmingham, MI - L, 12-5
Mar. 29, 2023 @ Detroit, MI - W, 14-8
Mar. 20, 2024 @ Moon Township, PA - L, 13-12 (ot)
Mar. 15, 2025 @ Detroit, MI - L, 19-4
May 3, 2026 @ Syracuse, NY - L, 17-8

STARTING THE OFFENSE

Sophomore Canton Lanham continues to make his way into the Titan history books, now second in school history in faceoff winning percentage (50.7%) and fifth in total wins with 178.
On the year, he is second in the NEC and 19th in DI with 6.00 ground balls per game and third in the league, winning 53.1%.
He just won 13-of-25 and picked up nine ground balls at Jacksonville, his third game on the year with double-figure victories.
He tallied a 15-of-23 effort with six ground balls against Bellarmine and recorded a career game, taking a career-high 21-of-28 and picking up a career-best 13 ground balls at Hampton.
The GBs are tied for second in school history, while the 21 wins are tied for fourth.
A member of the NEC All-Rookie Team, he ended his rookie year fourth in the NEC with a .493 winning percentage (109-of-221), as his 109 faceoff wins were the second most by a freshman and the fourth most in school history.
He also tied for second on the team with 40 ground balls and tied for ninth in the NEC with 3.08 ground balls per game.
After starting the year, 10-of-35, but won 99-of-186 (53.2%) in the last 10 games.
Lanham claimed 19-of-27 with 11 ground balls against Mercyhurst - the most wins and ground balls by a freshman in school history.

THUNDER STRIKES

Redshirt sophomore Marcus Thundercloud - who has scored a goal in three games and registered a point in four - had a career performance with seven points on three goals and a career-best four assists at Hampton.
It was his fifth career hat trick.
He had an outstanding rookie season, earning NEC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-NEC honors.
He was the first Titan freshman to earn a Rookie of the Year accolade since 2015.
Despite missing three games with a hand injury, he was second on the team with 22 goals - 10th in the NEC - and tied for second with 24 points.
Thundercloud scored a goal in eight of his 10 games, with multi-goal games in seven contests and four hat tricks.
Also, 19 of his 22 goals were in conference action.
Thundercloud missed his freshman year with a knee injury.

GET BY ME

Senior Kyle Grant has picked up right where he left off last year, tallying a caused turnover in five of the six games - four with multiple takeaways - as well as at least two ground balls in every contest.
He is first in the NEC and sixth in the country with 2.50 caused turnovers per game, and 10th in the conference with 3.00 ground balls per game.
He was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 16 after registering four takeaways and three GB's at #18 Michigan, and then tying his career-high with six caused turnovers and four more ground balls in the win at Hampton.
At #10 Ohio State, he had four ground balls, two caused turnovers, and his second career goal, and added another goal with a caused turnover and three GB's against Bellarmine.
Grant is now tied for seventh in school history with 52 caused turnovers, and third with 1.21 takeaways per game. He is also approaching 100 career ground balls, standing at 86.
Grant is coming off a great year, culminating in selection to the NEC First Team All-NEC and All-Tournament Team.
Last season, he led the team with 26 caused turnovers - eighth in school history and 15th in DI - and 44 ground balls. He topped the NEC and was fifth in the nation with 2.00 caused turnovers per game, and was seventh in the league and 78th in DI with 3.38 ground balls per game.
He posted a career-high six caused turnovers and seven ground balls at Ohio State last year, tied for the third most in the nation on the year and the second most in school history.

ALL WELL WITH GREEN

Sophomore Ian Greenwell had a standout freshman campaign, earning NEC All-Rookie Team honors.
He has caused a turnover in four of the first six games, with a pair in three of them, as well as at least two ground balls in six of the seven games. He is also 10th in the NEC with 1.17 takeaways per game.
Greenwell had two caused turnovers and three GB's against Marquette after two caused turnovers and two ground balls against Bellarmine.
He got off to a solid start with three ground balls at #10 Ohio State, two ground balls and two caused turnovers at #18 Michigan, and a takeaway and two GB's at Hampton.
He saw action in all 13 games, with 12 starts, and was second on the team with 15 caused turnovers - eighth in the NEC - and fourth with 34 ground balls.
Greenwell recorded a ground ball in 12 games, with at least three in six, and a caused turnover in nine games, with four multi-takeaway games.
He tallied a season-high three caused turnovers and a season-best six ground balls at VMI and registered two caused turnovers and two ground balls in the NEC semifinals at Le Moyne.

MY MAN PARKER

Sophomore Andrew Parker has now scored a goal in 15 of his 17 career games, and has at least one in every game this year.
He currently leads the team with 15 points on 11 goals and four assists and stands seventh in the NEC with 1.83 goals per game and 10th with 2.5 points per game.
He had a hat trick with three goals at #18 Michigan, posted two goals and two assists at Hampton, and his third career hat trick with three markers and a helper versus Bellarmine.
Last season, he earned NEC All-Rookie Team and All-Tournament Team honors.
He finished the year fourth on the team with 22 points and 14 goals and third with eight assists, to go along with four caused turnovers and 18 ground balls.
Parker scored a goal on his first collegiate shot at Marquette.
He posted his first career hat trick with three goals and an assist versus Wagner and tallied a season-high five points on two goals and a season-best three assists with three ground balls at Cleveland State.
In the postseason, he found the back of the net twice in the semifinals at Le Moyne and had four points on two goals and two assists, along with a ground ball, in the NEC Championship versus Robert Morris.

IN THE NET

The Titans entered the season a little light in goalie experience, but redshirt junior Cooper St. Clair won the starting job and has performed at a high level in the first five games, registering 85 saves.
He leads the NEC and is fourth in the nation with 14.1 saves per game, while he is also fourth in the league with a .494 save percentage.
After stopping 18 at Jacksonville last week, he now has double-digit saves in five of the six games.
He posted 14 saves in the season opener at #10 Ohio State, added 10 more at #18 Michigan - allowing just four goals in the second half - and nine more stops at Hampton to pick up his first win.
St. Clair recorded 15 against Bellarmine and a season-high 19 in the battle with Marquette.
Coming into the year, he saw action in just two games, both last season, playing 2:39 in net at Bellarmine and then a minute against Le Moyne.

PEEGE LEAVES HIS MARK

Freshman PJ O'Hanlon was held scoreless in the season opener, but the rookie made his presence known at #18 Michigan, scoring his first two career goals, and then powered in five at Hampton, and added one against Marquette and a pair at Jacksonville.
He is tied for the team lead with five man-up goals.
As a prep, he totaled 242 career points on 202 goals and 42 assists, leaving his high school fourth all-time in points and second in goals.

SHORT STICK BIG DEFENSE

Senior Jackson Ewald's stat sheet might seem light, but the short-stick midfielder is one of the best in the business and was named Second Team All-NEC last year.
He started the year with a takeaway at Ohio State and had a GB at Michigan, against Bellarmine and Marquette and at Jacksonville.
Learning from the best SSDM in school history in head coach Charlie Hayes, Ewald posted a career-high six caused turnovers and 16 ground balls last year.
Ewald recorded a career-best two caused turnovers and a career-high three ground balls in the NEC Championship against Robert Morris.

WE NEED MOORE

Junior Gavin Moore has played in all 31 games as a short-stick defensive midfielder since entering the Motor City.
He had a great game, recording two caused turnovers and tying his career best with four ground balls against Bellarmine.
Moore scored his third career goal and had a caused turnover at Hampton, and picked up two ground balls at #18 Michigan.
Last season, he had 10 caused turnovers and 14 ground balls, including three ground balls in the NEC Semifinals triumph over Le Moyne.

T SQUARED ON THE TAKE

Freshman Tommy Thompson started his collegiate career with a pair of caused turnovers at #10 Ohio State, en route to the NEC Freshman of the Week.
He was the first SSDM to win a weekly award since head coach Charlie Hayes earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in 2018.
He scored his first collegiate goal with two GB's versus Bellarmine.
Last year at The Hill Academy, Thompson was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year after recording a team-high 90 ground balls and 75 caused turnovers.

DANTON IS THE KEY

Senior Danton Molotky missed last season with an injury after not seeing any action in 2024, but he is starting to find his groove.
He scored his first two collegiate goals against Bellarmine and added another against Marquette.

I WILL TAKE A HENIGE

Graduate senior Sean Henige is back to help provide the Titans with another standout long pole.
He tied his career high with three caused turnovers at Hampton, and that was after two caused turnovers and four ground balls in the season opener at Ohio State, and another takeaway and GB at Michigan.
He has played in 43 career games, starting 39, and registered 42 caused turnovers - 10th in school history - and 75 ground balls.

BERRYLICIOUS

Sophomore Malakhi Berry has picked up right where he left off last year, as he is second on the team with 19 ground balls and already has a pair of goals from his LSM position.
He had a caused turnover and a career-high six ground balls against Bellarmine, and posted two goals, two caused turnovers, and five ground balls at Hampton.
Berry started the year with three ground balls at nationally-ranked Ohio State and Michigan.
Last season, he saw action in 10 contests and had seven caused turnovers and 15 ground balls with a goal.
Berry tallied a caused turnover and four ground balls against Wagner and Mercyhurst. He had a season-high two caused turnovers in the NEC semifinals at Le Moyne and matched that with two takeaways, a ground ball, and his first collegiate goal in the NEC Championship against Robert Morris.

MARK US DOWN

A few freshmen have officially entered the NCAA scoring column in the first few games.
DJ Wojciechowski had his first collegiate points at Hampton on a goal and three assists.
Dylan Belliveauhad registered his first point with an assist at Ohio State. Since then, he has scored a goal in three straight, with two goals and an assist at Hampton, two helpers and a goal against Bellarmine, and a strike versus Marquette.
Riley Bissett scored his first goal at Hampton, and Luke Zajdel recorded his first point on an assist against the Pirates.

LEAVE IT UP TO THE CREATOR

Junior Julian Greendeer had his sophomore season cut short due to a hand injury last year.
He ended up playing in eight games, starting seven, recording five points on three goals and two assists.
He scored his first collegiate goal at Hampton and found the back of the net at LIU and at VMI.
Last summer, Greendeer and teammate Marcus Thundercloud played with the Haudenosaunee Nation at the U-20 World Lacrosse Championships.

3 NAMES FOR OUR LSM

Freshman Tyler Francis-Renner has earned a lot of playing time early on.
He had a caused turnover in his collegiate debut at Ohio State and added a CT and two ground balls at Michigan.
He picked up three ground balls at Hampton and scored his first collegiate goal versus Bellarmine.

SHOWING OUR SKIN

Graduate senior Harold Skinner is back to give the Titans more experience at attack and in the midfield.
He had three points on two goals and an assist, plus a ground ball, at Hampton. He began the year with four GB's at Ohio State and posted three points on a goal and two assists at Michigan.
Last season, he was fifth with a career-best 14 points and seven goals, and fourth with a career-high seven assists.
Skinner has a career-high four points on two goals and two assists at LIU, and recorded a career-high three takeaways and six GB's at Cleveland State.

HONOR THY CAPTAIN

For the first time in school history, only one player will don the capital "C" as senior Kyle Grant was named the 2026 team captain.
"As we head into the new season, KG will lead the way as our sole team captain," said head coach Charlie Hayes '18. "Kyle embodies what it means to be a leader and a captain within our program. From the day Kyle arrived on campus, he has embraced the process of getting better. He sets the standard for our program, and his growth as a player and leader makes him an easy choice to lead our team."
In addition, there will be one gameday captain each week who will join Grant at the coin toss and officials meeting. That weekly gameday captain will be selected based on their work ethic, leadership, and performance in practice during that week.

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Players Mentioned

#49 Malakhi Berry: LSM; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#88 Jackson Ewald: DM; 5' 10"; Senior

#4 Kyle Grant: D; 6' 5"; Senior

#21 Julian Greendeer: A/MF; 5' 10"; Junior

#28 Ian Greenwell: D; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#44 Sean Henige: D; 6' 3"; Graduate Student

#18 Canton Lanham: FO; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#47 Danton Molotky: A/MF; 5' 9"; Senior

#9 Gavin Moore: DM; 6' 2"; Junior

#10 Andrew Parker: MF; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#49 Malakhi Berry
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: LSM

#88 Jackson Ewald
: 5' 10"; Senior
: DM

#4 Kyle Grant
: 6' 5"; Senior
: D

#21 Julian Greendeer
: 5' 10"; Junior
: A/MF

#28 Ian Greenwell
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: D

#44 Sean Henige
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student
: D

#18 Canton Lanham
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: FO

#47 Danton Molotky
: 5' 9"; Senior
: A/MF

#9 Gavin Moore
: 6' 2"; Junior
: DM

#10 Andrew Parker
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: MF