Lacrosse Set to Battle Detroit Mercy Sunday

Lacrosse at DETROIT MERCY
Date	Sunday, April 7 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Titan Field \| Detroit, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Statistics \| Watch (ESPN+)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team travels into Detroit Sunday, April 7, for a Mid-American Conference showdown with the University of Detroit Mercy with the opening draw slated for 1 p.m. at Titan Field. The Eagles (5-5, 2-0 MAC) are tied for the top spot in the MAC standings with Central Michigan University while the Titans (3-9, 2-1 MAC) are tied for third place.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern stands 5-5 overall and 2-0 in MAC play following its 20-4 home loss to No. 5 Michigan, April 3.
» The Eagles' game with No. 5 Michigan marked the first time a nationally ranked team had played at Eastern in the program's short tenure (since 2023).
» The Eagles are currently tied for first place in the MAC standings, sharing the top spot with Central Michigan as both teams hold 2-0 records. Eastern also has doubled its win total in league play from last year (1-7).
» With their win over Kent State, March 31, the Eagles have won three MAC matches in a row for the first time in program history dating back to the end of the 2023 season. Additionally, Eastern has won back-to-back home games in the same season for the first time after downing Butler, 15-8, March 15.
» Sydney Lawrence stuffed the stat sheet against KSU as she scored three goals, collected four ground balls, a school-record-tying four caused turnovers, and three draw controls. For her efforts, she was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week, April 2.
» In the win over Kent State, March 31, the Eagles came back from a pair of three-goal deficits to win, 12-11, with Mackenzie Blackwell scoring five times, including the game-winning strike, to lead the way. The one-goal win is the second in as many games (W, 11-10, at Akron, March 24) after losing the previous four.
» Avery Schwab tied a school record with four assists in the win over the Golden Flashes. Schwab set the mark last year at Xavier, March 15.
» 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 112-82 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 DETROIT MERCY, EASTERN WOULD...
» Remain in the top spot in the MAC rankings and stay undefeated in league play at 3-0.
» Secure it second all-time MAC road win after downing Akron, 11-10, March 24.
» Give EMU its first win at Detroit Mercy after falling on the road, 17-7, April 1, 2023.

LAWRENCE NABS MAC HONOR
Sydney Lawrence was honored as the MAC Defensive Player of the Week following the Eagles' game with Kent State, 12-11 win for Eastern, March 31. Lawrence was all over the field for Eastern as she finished the game with four caused turnovers, four ground balls, and three draw controls with her CT total tying her own school record. She also was tasked with marking the second-leading scorer on the KSU roster and limited her to just two goals in the game. Additionally, Lawrence scored three goals, including one free-position attempt, to record her second hat trick of the season.

AROUND THE MAC
The top four teams in the current MAC standings will play one another Sunday, April 7. Robert Morris, who is tied for third at 2-1, will play at Central Michigan, who is tied for the top spot, at 12 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, Mich. One hour later, the positions will be reversed as the Eagles, who are tied for first, will travel to face Detroit Mercy, who is tied for third. The remaining MAC game sees Akron at Kent State at 1 p.m. with Youngstown State off from league play. The top four teams in the final standings, April 28, will advance to the 2024 MAC Tournament with the regular season champion earning the right to host the two-day event.

SCOUTING: DETROIT MERCY
The Titans enter the weekend with a 3-9 record and stand 2-1 in the MAC. Detroit Mercy had won three in a row, including MAC wins over both Youngstown State (March 24, 13-8) and Robert Morris (12-9, March 30), before dropping a home game to Arizona State, April 2, 17-3. Cat Kopchia continues to lead the offense for the Titans as he has tallied 42 points on 38 goals while four other players have scored 10+ goals this year. Defensively, Meredith Leavell has started all 12 games in cage for the Titans and carries a 14.10 goals against average while stopping 43.6 percent of the shots she faces.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. TITANS
Eastern holds a 1-1 record against Detroit Mercy after the home teams won each game played in 2023. The Eagles dropped a 17-7 decision at Titan Field, April 1, 2023, in EMU's inaugural MAC contest before closing the season with the program's first conference win in a 17-12 victory at Scicluna Field. The two teams have met once already this year, but the game was played as an exhibition in early February and did not count toward team records.

LOOKING BACK: MICHIGAN
The Eagles played host to a nationally ranked foe for the first time in program history, April 3, with the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines claiming a 20-4 victory inside EMU's Indoor Practice Facility. Amber Alderman, Skylar Hilmer, Kyleigh Dill, and Mackenzie Blackwell each scored in for the Eagles while Samantha Borgert led the team with two caused turnovers.

CLOSE CALLS
Heading into the season, the Eagles were 0-3 all-time in one-goal games and saw their record drop to 0-3 after a close 7-6 loss at Lafayette, March 9. Since then, however, the Eagles have come out on top in back-to-back one-goal games, including their most recent 12-11 win over Kent State, March 31. One week prior, Eastern secured its first one-goal victory as it downed Akron on the road, 11-10, March 24.

SHE'S GOT FIVE ON IT
Mackenzie Blackwell has been on a scoring tear lately as the sophomore netted five more goals in the 12-11 win over Kent State, March 31. The goals gave the team's top scorer her seventh hat trick of the season and a hat trick in her fourth game in a row. Overall, Blackwell has netted 76 goals for the Eagles in one-and-one-half seasons and scored at least once in 22-of-25 games played at EMU.

ONE OF THE BEST
With her 37 goals in nine games, Mackenzie Blackwell is averaging 4.11 goals per contest, which continues to lead the MAC. Additionally, she ranks ninth among all NCAA Division I players and is the top scoring sophomore in the nation.

SYD STUFFS STATS
To say Sydney Lawrence was busy in the Kent State game, March 31, would be an understatement. Tasked with marking the Golden Flashes' second-leading scorer, Lawrence allowed her opponent just two goals in the game. Additionally, Lawrence, who scored three goals of her own, tied a school record with four caused turnovers while also recording four ground balls and three draw controls.

SHE HAS THE SCOOP
In the game against KSU, March 31, Maddie Porter not only secured her second career MAC victory in goal, she also added three more ground balls to her season total. Porter is averaging 4.38 ground balls per game, an average that leads the MAC and ranks second nationally. She also ranks 25th nationally with 9.0 saves per game and 14th with her 48.6 save percentage.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS
Eastern now leads the MAC in nine statistical categories, an improvement of one from last week. Offensively, the Eagles top the ledgers with 11.33 goals per game, 6.22 assists per game, 17.56 points per game, 20.11 shots on goal per game, and 1.89 woman-up goals scored per game. On the defensive end, the Eagles lead the way in saves percentage at 50.0, goals against average at 10.89, ground balls per game at 19.00, and draw controls per game at 15.00.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS, PART II
Individually, several Eagles hold the top spot in several categories as well. Mackenzie Blackwell leads the league in goals per game (4.11), points per game (4.33), and draw controls per game (4.89); Avery Schwab leads with 1.56 assists per game; Maddie Porter is tops in ground balls per game (4.38); and Giuliana Ditsky leads the way in save percentage (54.2).

NATIONALLY KNOWN
As a team, the Eagles rank among the national top 50 in six categories with the team's 50.0 save percentage ranking eighth to lead the way. Eastern also ranks 12th in ground balls per game (19.0), 31st in draw controls per game (15.0), 36th in assists per game (6.22), 38th in shot percentage (44.7), goals against average (10.89).

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. Avery Schwab tops the charts with 1.56 assists per game with Tracy Grollman sitting second at 1.50 and Sydney Lawrence third at 1.11. Additionally, Abby Alderman has added her name to the list at ninth (0.78).

ON THE HORIZON
Another big game is on the books next week for the Eagles as they are set to play host Central Michigan University at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 14. As it currently stands, the Eagles and Chippewas are tied for first in the MAC standings at 2-0.

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

Abby Alderman

Amber Alderman

Mackenzie Blackwell

Samantha Borgert

Kyleigh Dill

Giuliana Ditsky

Tracy Grollman

Skylar Hilmer

Gina Jaffurs

Sydney Lawrence

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics