ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The College of Saint Benedict lacrosse team (6-6) will meet UW-Eau Claire (7-5) in the quarterfinal round of the WIAC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, April 29 at 5 p.m., in Eau Claire, Wis.

The winner of the quarterfinal game will host No. 1 seed Colorado College on Friday, May 1. The WIAC Tournament Championship will be held at the site of the highest seed on Sunday, May 3. The WIAC Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the MCAA

Directed by fourth-year head coach Patrick Crandall (37 career wins), Saint Benedict was 4-4 in conference play and finished fifth. CSB has reached the WIAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons and has a 1-1 overall record, finishing third a year ago.

Season Review 
The Bennies opened the season with a pair of dominant home victories—21-2 over Edgewood and 21-1 against Milwaukee School of Engineering—before hitting a tougher stretch with losses to Carroll (17-7) and No. 18 Chicago (19-6). In WIAC play, the Bennies fell to UW-River Falls (13-8), No. 24 Colorado College (14-6), and UW-Eau Claire (12-10) before bouncing back with decisive victories over Augsburg (28-1) and UW-Stout (19-5).  CSB dropped a close 8-7 decision to UW-La Crosse before defeating Hamline on Senior Night, 20-5, in their most recent contest. With the win against the Pipers, the Bennies clinched its second straight WIAC playoffs berth. On Sunday, Saint Benedict had a career-high five goals from Rayna Malmberg (Stillwater, Minn.) and rolled to a 22-4 win to close the regular season.
  
Inside CSB — By the Numbers  
Through 12 games, the Bennies hold a 175-101 scoring advantage and are outshooting opponents, 35.5 to 22.9 per game. Saint Benedict is 23-for-67 on free-position attempts, own a 294-220 edge in ground balls, and have posted a 78.7% clear rate while forcing 131 turnovers. CSB has scored 20 or more goals five times, including a program-record 28 against Augsburg.  
  
Senior Sami Hackley (Plymouth, Minn.) leads the offense with 35 goals and 10 assists for 45 points. She now has 167 career goals and a program-record 205 points, along with 42 multi-goal games. Hackley opened the season with seven goals against Edgewood and added six more in the Bennies' win against Augsburg. Hackley has collected nine multi-goal performances this season and has 44 in her career. Of those multi-goal efforts, she has 19 with four or more goals. 
  
Ava Mosley (Stillwater, Minn.) has totaled 32 goals and nine assists, bringing her career totals to 82 goals and 21 multi-goal games. Mosley opened the season with a five-goal performance and has since added a pair of seven-point outings, recording three goals and four assists against MSOE and five goals and two assists in the Bennies' most recent win over UW–Stevens Point, she scored four goals.  '
  
First-year Rayna Malmberg (Stillwater, Minn.) has contributed 41 points (23 goals, 18 assists), while junior Lizzie Schrubbe (Andover, Minn.) has recorded eight goals and 26 assists. Schrubbe's five-assist performance against MSOE highlights a career that now includes 55 goals and a program-best 94 assists.  She had four assists against UW-Stout.
  
Additional scoring comes from first-year Emma Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.), who has 25 goals with 25 ground balls, 21 draw controls and 17 caused turnovers. Lilly Fandel Thompson (St. Louis Park, Minn.), who has added 21 goals , 28 ground balls and eight caused turnovers..   
  
Fischer Earns WIAC Honor  
First-year goalkeeper Ashley Fischer (Madison Lake, Minn.) has been a key presence in net and was named WIAC Defensive Player of the Week on March 17.  
  
Fischer recorded six saves and allowed just one goal in the 21-1 win over MSOE, holding the Raiders scoreless for more than 51 minutes. She posted a career-high 21 saves against UW-River Falls and has reached double-digit saves in five games this season. Through 12 contests, Fischer owns a 8.42 goals-against average with 101 saves and 25 ground balls, tied for the third-most on the team, while facing 275 shots.  
  
Scouting UW-Eau Claire
UW-Eau Claire, led by first-year head coach Dr. Courtney Puhl, the Blugolds sit 7-5 overall, finishing 5-3 in the WIAC, a game ahead of CSB. UW-Eau Claire has a 156-to-143 goals edge, averaging 33.3 shots to 24.4 to opponents. They own an .860 clears percentage. Jess Stiller leads the team with 25 goals while Paige Kiani has 25 and Reegan Werner, 22 goals with 29 assists.

Series Notes  
Saint Benedict has a 1-3 record against UW-Eau Claire, including a 12-10 loss  on April 1, 2026 in Eau Claire, CSB also lost to the Blugolds, 18-15, in the WIAC Tournament a year ago.