Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, March 24
Akron, Ohio
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-4, 1-0MAC
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Akron
5-7, 1-1MAC
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Eastern Michigan
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Akron
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Lacrosse Downs Akron, 11-10, for First MAC Road Win
3/24/2024 4:05:00 PM | Lacrosse
Blackwell nets four, Porter stops 10, and Eastern avenges last year’s one-goal home loss
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team battled to the end and pulled out an 11-10 road victory at the University of Akron Sunday, March 24, in the Eagles' Mid-American Conference opener played inside InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The Eagles (4-4, 1-0 MAC) built a four-goal halftime lead and had to hang on to secure the first road MAC victory in program history as the Zips (5-7, 0-2 MAC) did not go quietly on their home turf.
How It Happened
Eastern jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead as the Eagles won the draw control, advanced into the offensive zone, and scored. Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) got the visitors on the board first with her strike at 14:09 before Sydney Lawrence (Plano, Texas/Plano East/Oregon) added a goal off a Blackwell pass to make it 2-0. The Zips mirrored the Eagles with draws won and two goals scored before Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) scored on a pass from Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) for a 3-2 lead. The hosts responded once again and tied things at three at the end of the first quarter.
It was a sloppy start to the second quarter that saw both teams unable to hold onto the ball. After consecutive turnovers and a time out called, the Eagles regrouped and went on a five-goal scoring streak to build an 8-3 advantage. During the offensive run, Eastern received two goals from Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) and one each from Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent), Dague, and Blackwell. The Zips added one goal before the break to make it 8-4 at halftime.
After UA added a goal to open the third, the Eagles ended a very quiet third quarter with Blackwell's third score of the game with 1:35 remaining to give Eastern a 9-5 advantage heading into the fourth. In the final stanza, the two sides traded a pair of goals, with Alderman adding her second and Blackwell scoring her fourth, this time on a Dague assist, to make it 11-7 with 5:15 remaining. The Zips made it interesting, however, as they scored three times in the final five minutes but could climb no closer as the Eagles claimed the 11-10 win.
Game Notes
» Eastern improved to 4-4 (1-0 MAC) on the season while Akron fell to 5-7 (0-2 MAC).
» The Eagles' victory marks the first road win in conference play in program history. EMU was 0-4 in its inaugural season (2023).
» With the win, the Eagles have doubled their overall win total from last year (2-14) while equaling their MAC win total (1-7).
» Dating back to last year, the Eagles have now won back-to-back conference games for the first time. Eastern downed the University of Detroit Mercy, 17-12, in Ypsilanti, April 29, 2023.
» As a team, the 11 goals scored against the Zips ranks as the third-most in a MAC game for the Eagles while the five consecutive goals scored to open the second quarter rank as the second-longest run in a conference game behind the six scored against Detroit Mercy, April 29, 2023.
» Six different Eagles tallied at least one assist in the game, which ties the program record for a conference game set last year, April 29, 2023, against UDM. The seven total assists dished tied for second, three off the record of 10 tallied against the Titans.
» Mackenzie Blackwell scored her sixth hat trick of the season, her third in as many games, and the 13th of her career to pace the offense. Blackwell has now scored at least one goal in 21-of-24 career games played for the Eagles.
» Tracy Grollman tallied one assist in the game to bring her season total to 12, which stands as a program record. Grollman, Sydney Lawrence, and Avery Schwab set the record at 11 last year.
» Kelsea Dague returned to the scoring column as she netted two goals for the third time this year. She originally scored two goals in games at the University of Notre Dame (Feb. 9) and at Duquesne University (Feb. 15).
» Amber Alderman recorded three points on two goals and one assist with all three tying season-best totals. Her three points also tied a career high, which she recorded twice last year.
» Ally Moore (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon Regional) recorded two assists to mark the first multiple-point game of her career. She previously had tallied one goal or one assist in three other contests.
» Goalie Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) recorded 10 saves and a team-leading six ground balls to earn her second career victory.
» Graduate transfer Liv Dameron (Macomb, Mich./Dakota/Albion) saw her first game action for the Eagles at Akron and earned her first start with the program. Dameron was a four-year member of the basketball team and two-year member of the lacrosse team at Albion College, where she graduated in 2023.
Series Notes
» The Eagles win tied the all-time series with the Zips at 1-1 with both teams winning on the road.
» Both games in the series have been decided by one goal with the Zips winning in Ypsilanti, 10-9, April 22, 2023, before the Eagles were victorious today.
Up Next
Eastern hops back into league play Sunday, March 31, with Kent State University coming to town for an Easter meeting. The Eagles and Golden Flashes will meet at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti with the opening draw scheduled for 12 p.m.
How It Happened
Eastern jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead as the Eagles won the draw control, advanced into the offensive zone, and scored. Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) got the visitors on the board first with her strike at 14:09 before Sydney Lawrence (Plano, Texas/Plano East/Oregon) added a goal off a Blackwell pass to make it 2-0. The Zips mirrored the Eagles with draws won and two goals scored before Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) scored on a pass from Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) for a 3-2 lead. The hosts responded once again and tied things at three at the end of the first quarter.
It was a sloppy start to the second quarter that saw both teams unable to hold onto the ball. After consecutive turnovers and a time out called, the Eagles regrouped and went on a five-goal scoring streak to build an 8-3 advantage. During the offensive run, Eastern received two goals from Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) and one each from Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent), Dague, and Blackwell. The Zips added one goal before the break to make it 8-4 at halftime.
After UA added a goal to open the third, the Eagles ended a very quiet third quarter with Blackwell's third score of the game with 1:35 remaining to give Eastern a 9-5 advantage heading into the fourth. In the final stanza, the two sides traded a pair of goals, with Alderman adding her second and Blackwell scoring her fourth, this time on a Dague assist, to make it 11-7 with 5:15 remaining. The Zips made it interesting, however, as they scored three times in the final five minutes but could climb no closer as the Eagles claimed the 11-10 win.
Game Notes
» Eastern improved to 4-4 (1-0 MAC) on the season while Akron fell to 5-7 (0-2 MAC).
» The Eagles' victory marks the first road win in conference play in program history. EMU was 0-4 in its inaugural season (2023).
» With the win, the Eagles have doubled their overall win total from last year (2-14) while equaling their MAC win total (1-7).
» Dating back to last year, the Eagles have now won back-to-back conference games for the first time. Eastern downed the University of Detroit Mercy, 17-12, in Ypsilanti, April 29, 2023.
» As a team, the 11 goals scored against the Zips ranks as the third-most in a MAC game for the Eagles while the five consecutive goals scored to open the second quarter rank as the second-longest run in a conference game behind the six scored against Detroit Mercy, April 29, 2023.
» Six different Eagles tallied at least one assist in the game, which ties the program record for a conference game set last year, April 29, 2023, against UDM. The seven total assists dished tied for second, three off the record of 10 tallied against the Titans.
» Mackenzie Blackwell scored her sixth hat trick of the season, her third in as many games, and the 13th of her career to pace the offense. Blackwell has now scored at least one goal in 21-of-24 career games played for the Eagles.
» Tracy Grollman tallied one assist in the game to bring her season total to 12, which stands as a program record. Grollman, Sydney Lawrence, and Avery Schwab set the record at 11 last year.
» Kelsea Dague returned to the scoring column as she netted two goals for the third time this year. She originally scored two goals in games at the University of Notre Dame (Feb. 9) and at Duquesne University (Feb. 15).
» Amber Alderman recorded three points on two goals and one assist with all three tying season-best totals. Her three points also tied a career high, which she recorded twice last year.
» Ally Moore (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon Regional) recorded two assists to mark the first multiple-point game of her career. She previously had tallied one goal or one assist in three other contests.
» Goalie Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) recorded 10 saves and a team-leading six ground balls to earn her second career victory.
» Graduate transfer Liv Dameron (Macomb, Mich./Dakota/Albion) saw her first game action for the Eagles at Akron and earned her first start with the program. Dameron was a four-year member of the basketball team and two-year member of the lacrosse team at Albion College, where she graduated in 2023.
Series Notes
» The Eagles win tied the all-time series with the Zips at 1-1 with both teams winning on the road.
» Both games in the series have been decided by one goal with the Zips winning in Ypsilanti, 10-9, April 22, 2023, before the Eagles were victorious today.
Up Next
Eastern hops back into league play Sunday, March 31, with Kent State University coming to town for an Easter meeting. The Eagles and Golden Flashes will meet at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti with the opening draw scheduled for 12 p.m.
Team Stats
EMU
AKR
Shots
24
23
Turnovers
19
14
Caused Turnovers
6
13
Draw Controls
17
8
Free-Position Shots
2
3
Ground Balls
13
19
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Players Mentioned
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