Lacrosse Set to Host Kent State Sunday

Lacrosse vs. KENT STATE (MAC Home Opener)
Date	Sunday, March 31 \| 12 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Statistics
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team will play its Mid-American Conference home opener Sunday, March 31, when the Kent State University Golden Flashes come to Scicluna Field for a noon opening draw. The Eagles (4-4, 1-0 MAC) will be looking to remain perfect in league play while the Golden Flashes (4-8, 1-1 MAC) will try to bounce back from a one-goal home loss in their last game.

GROW OUR GAME IS COMING APRIL 3
Eastern Michigan and No. 2 Michigan are set to meet Wednesday, April 3, at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit with the opening draw slated for 3 p.m. The game is free for all to attend and parking around the stadium is also free. Following the game, youths aged eighth grade and younger can come to the field and learn to pass and shoot with members of both teams as EMU and U-M Grow Our Game in Detroit.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern stands 4-4 overall and 1-0 in MAC play following its 11-10 road win at Akron, March 24.
» The win at Akron marked the first MAC road victory in program history for the Eagles (0-4 in 2023).
» With the victory, the Eagles improved to 1-4 all-time and 1-1 this year in games decided by one goal. Earlier this season, the Eagles dropped a 7-6 decision at Lafayette (March 9).
» In the game with Akron, March 24, Mackenzie Blackwell scored four goals for her sixth hat trick of the season while collecting nine draw controls to help the Eagles to victory. For her efforts, the MAC coaches voted her the MAC Offensive Player of the Week, March 26.
» Mackenzie Blackwell continues to lead the league in both goals per game (4.00) and draw controls per game (5.50) with those averages ranking her 12th and 34th, respectively, in the NCAA Division I standings.
» Maddie Porter picked up her first conference victory in goal as she stopped 10 shots and collected a team-best four ground balls at Akron. Her 4.57 ground balls per game ranks first in the MAC and second in the NCAA.
» As a team, the Eagles lead the MAC in eight categories, including goals (11.25), assists (6.25), points (17.50), woman-up goals (1.88), save percentage (.508), goals against average (10.88), ground balls per game (19.25) and draw controls per game (15.00).
» Five Eagles were selected captains ahead of the 2024 season, including sophomores Mackenzie Blackwell, Skylar Hilmer, Gina Jaffurs, and Annika Wozney, and graduate student Sydney Lawrence.
» Head Coach Sara Tisdale is back for her second year building the Eagle program and carries a career record of 110-81 in 12 years of coaching. Eastern is the third program she has started from scratch after starting programs at Augustana (Ill.) in 2012 and Central Michigan in 2016.
» Eastern was voted fourth in the 2024 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, up from a tie for sixth in 2023.

WITH A WIN OVER KENT STATE...
» The Eagles would post consecutive home wins for the first time in program history after defeating visiting Butler, 15-8, March 15.
» The Eagles, who are playing their first home MAC game of the year, would post their first back-to-back home wins in league play after defeating Detroit Mercy, 17-12, April 29, 2023.
» Eastern would have its first winning record. The best record the Eagles have held in their short history are 2-2 and their current 4-4 mark.

MAC(KENZIE) PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mackenzie Blackwell was voted the MAC Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced March 26. The 2023 MAC Freshman of the Year continued her hot scoring as she netted four goals to help the Eagles to an 11-10 victory at Akron, March 24, marking the first MAC road win in program history. Blackwell, whose fourth goal was the game-winner, also added nine draw controls to help jump start the offense. The award is the second of her career and her first offensive honor after she was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week, March 28, 2023.

SCOUTING: KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes enter the weekend with a 4-8 overall record and stand 1-1 in the MAC following a pair of one-goal games. In its most recent outing, Kent State fell in its MAC home opener to Robert Morris as the Colonials escaped with an 11-10 win in double overtime. The one MAC win KSU holds was a 16-15 victory at Youngstown State (March 17). Individually, Jackie Wolford continues to lead the team in scoring with a team-high 50 points and 40 goals while Zayda Crumpton has tallied 37 points on 23 goals and 14 assists while leading the team with 52 draw controls. Defensively, a trio of Golden Flashes have started in cage. Ella Gravitt leads the way with 47 saves while Taylor Monturo has posted 45 and Sydney Davis 25.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. GOLDEN FLASHES
The Eagles lost their first meeting with Kent State, 19-9, last year at home, April 12, 2023.

LOOKING BACK: MAC OPENER
Eastern secured an 11-10 victory at Akron, March 24, to open the conference season with a 1-0 record while claiming the first MAC road win in program history. After the game was tied at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter, a five-goal run that included four saves in goal from Maddie Porter helped the Eagles build an 8-4 lead at the break. After both teams scored one goal each in the third (9-5, EMU), Eastern withstood a strong comeback effort from the hosts to hold on for the victory. Individually, Porter made 10 saves on defense while Mackenzie Blackwell scored a team-leading four goals, including the game-winner, her third of the year.

CLOSE CALLS
Including the game at Akron, March 24, the Eagles have played five, one-goal games in program history with all five coming on the road. The 11-10 win over the Zips marked the first, one-goal win in program history after dropping the previous four, including a 7-6 decision at Lafayette, March 9. Last year, the three road losses included scores of 11-10 at Xavier (March 12), 14-13 at Butler (March 26), and 10-9 at Akron (April 22).

BUILDING HER WARDROBE
Mackenzie Blackwell scored four more goals in the game at Akron, March 24, to record her sixth hat trick of the season, her third in a row, and the 13th of her career. With those goals, Blackwell, who has scored 71 goals in her career, has now tallied at least one score in 21-of-24 games played for the Eagles.

ONE OF THE BEST
With her 32 goals in eight games, Mackenzie Blackwell is averaging 4.0 goals per contest, which continues to lead the MAC. Additionally, she ranks 12th among all NCAA Division I players and is the top scoring sophomore in the nation.

MORE ON MAC
Not only is Mackenzie Blackwell among the top scorers in the MAC and NCAA, but she also ranks highly in draw controls with an average of 5.50 per game. The MAC leader in the category and ranked 34th nationally, Blackwell won nine draws at Akron, March 24, for her second-highest total of the season after winning 12 at Duquesne, Feb. 15.

SHE HAS THE SCOOP
In the game at Akron, March 24, Maddie Porter tallied 10 saves to earn her first conference victory. In addition to her saves, Porter scooped up a team-high four ground balls. With those pickups, Porter averages 4.57 ground balls per game, which ranks first in the MAC and second nationally. She also is tops among goalies for ground balls and is the only freshman among the top 15 on the national list.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS
Eastern continues to lead the MAC in eight statistical categories, including the top three offensive categories as the Eagles are averaging a league-best 11.25 goals, 6.25 assists, and 17.50 points per game. Additionally, EMU holds the top spot in the following categories: woman-up goals (1.88), save percentage (.508), goals against average (10.88), ground balls (19.25), and draw controls (15.00).

HIGH MARKS
As a team, the Eagles have posted three marks that rank among the top four nationally in single-game standings with the 20 saves recorded at Marquette (March 17) ranking third in a single game among all NCAA Division I teams. Earlier this year, the 26 draw controls recorded at Duquesne (Feb. 15) rank as the third-most while the 37 ground balls recorded at Howard (Feb. 25) rank fourth.

HAPPY HELPERS
It is no surprise the Eagles lead the MAC in assists as the top three individuals on the assist chart all wear the Green and White of Eastern. Tracy Grollman leads the league with 1.50 assists per game while both Sydney Lawrence and Avery Schwab are tied for second with 1.25 helpers per game. Additionally, the team ranks 37th in the NCAA in assists.

DROPPING DIMES
Last year, the Eagles' 16-game inaugural season ended with both Sydney Lawrence and Avery Schwab tying for the team lead with 11 assists each. Through only eight games in 2024, Tracy Grollman has tallied 12 helpers to break the single season record while Lawrence and Schwab have both accumulated 10 assists in 2024.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern returns to action Wednesday, April 3, when the Eagles take on the University of Michigan in the Grow Our Game event. The Eagles and second-ranked Wolverines will play at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit with the opening draw scheduled for 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Following the game, youths aged eighth grade and younger are invited to join the players on the field to learn how to pass and shoot.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Lacrosse, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Lacrosse on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Lacrosse on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Blackwell

Tracy Grollman

Skylar Hilmer

Gina Jaffurs

Sydney Lawrence

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics