Lacrosse Opens 2025 Hosting San Diego State

GAME #1 \| Lacrosse vs. SAN DIEGO STATE
Date	Sunday, Feb. 9 \| 12:00 p.m.
Venue	Indoor Practice Facility \| 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 host to San Diego State University Sunday, Feb. 9, inside the EMU Indoor Practice Facility as the Eagles lift the lid on their third varsity campaign and the first with Head Coach Maddie Dugan at the helm. Opening draw for the game is slated for 12 p.m.

OPENING DRAWS
» Maddie Dugan is in her first season guiding the Eagles. The 2024 MAC Coach of the Year at Detroit Mercy, Dugan took a Titans team that was selected to finish seventh in the standings to the MAC Tournament championship game. She is in her seventh year as a collegiate head coach.
» The Eagles were 7-9 one year ago and finished 4-2 in the MAC to finish third in standings, which earned them their first postseason berth as the three-seed in the MAC Tournament.
» Eastern improved its overall win total by five wins in 2024 after winning just twice in 2023. Additionally, the Eagles won three more MAC games (1-7 to 4-2) while winning five road games after going 0-8 in 2023.
» The Eagles were selected to finish third in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll (Feb. 5) and earned their first, first-place vote in program history. The team also earned a pair of votes to win the conference tournament in May.
» The 33-player roster features 22 returning Eagles, including 14 that have been with the program since Year 1, and 11 newcomers, 10 of which are freshmen.
» Four Eagles were selected captains ahead of the 2025 season, including Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsea Dague, and Annika Wozney,
» Several major award winners return for the 2025 season, including Maddie Porter, who was the MAC Freshman of the Year while being named to both the All-MAC Second Team and the MAC All-Freshman Team. Mackenzie Blackwell was named All-MAC First Team while Karly Low earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team.
» With 22 players back for 2025, so are a majority of the team's statistics from 2024, including 75.6 of the team's goals, assists, and points, 100 percent of the game-winning goals scored, 79.9 percent of the ground balls, and 87.9 percent of draw controls won.
» Maddie Porter finished her freshman season averaging 4.2 ground balls per game, which ranked the freshman goalie first in the NCAA. She also ranked 27th with 8.8 saves per game and 31st with a 45.7 save percentage.
» Mackenzie Blackwell also closed 2024 highly ranked as she was 29th with 5.88 draw controls per game and 40th with 3.06 goals per game.
» Mackenzie Blackwell enters the season ranked highly in two career categories as she closed out 2024 ranked 17th on the active players list with 5.53 draw controls per game and 25th with 2.75 goals per game.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
The 2025 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll was released, Feb. 5, with the Eagles voted to place third in the 2025 MAC regular season standings, the highest predicted finish for the program after being selected sixth (tie) in 2023 and fourth (2024). Robert Morris was first with 34 points while Central Michigan was second with 31. EMU earned one first-place vote and two votes to win the conference tournament, both of which were firsts for the program.

KNOW THE FOE: SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs finished the 2024 season with a 2-14 record and were 1-7 in PAC-12 play as they secured a 13-12 home win over Oregon. The team returns its top two scorers in Sara Toner, a 2025 All-Big 12 Team Preseason selection, who had 42 points on 39 goals and three assists, and Frankie Garcia, who tallied 34 points on 27 goals and seven helpers. Additionally, of the six players that scored double-digit goal totals, five return for the 2025 season. Defensively, Caitlin Boughton saw the most action in goal in 2024 and is the lone returning keeper after posting 121 saves and allowing 15.49 goals per game.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. AZTECS
Eastern Michigan and San Diego State will be playing for the first time. The game will also be the first of two against a member of the newly formed Big 12 Conference with the second game coming on the road, March 9, at Cincinnati.

LIFTING LIDS • SEASON OPENERS
Eastern is 0-2 in its season opener and 0-1 when that game is played at home. The Eagles fell to visiting Niagara, 18-4, Feb. 16, 2023, before falling, 21-6, at No. 7 Notre Dame, Feb. 9, 2024, to open last season.

LIFTING LIDS • HOME OPENERS
The Eagles are 1-1 in their home opener after scoring a 15-8 win over Butler, March 15, 2024. Eastern fell, 18-4, in its first opener, Feb. 16, 2023, to Niagara, which also was the first game played in program history.

BIG GAINS
The Eagles showed big improvements last year as they finished 7-9 overall and 4-2 in the MAC. Overall, the seven wins marked a five-game improvement from the 2023 campaign (2-14) while the four wins in league action standing as a three-game improvement after going 1-7 the year before. Additionally, after going 0-8 on the road in 2023, the Eagles went 5-4 away from home last year.

MORE FIRSTS
In just their second season, the Eagles advanced to the postseason as they finished third in the MAC standings to earn a berth in the event hosted by Central Michigan. EMU would fall to No. 2-seed Robert Morris, 12-11, in the semifinals before the Colonials would claim the title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...
Following the regular season, several Eagles earned recognition from the league including two major awards won in a vote by the league's coaches. Sydney Lawrence was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year while Maddie Porter earned MAC Freshman of the Year accolades. Mackenzie Blackwell and Lawrence both were named All-MAC First Team while Porter, who earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team, joined Karly Low as members of the All-Freshman squad. Following the MAC Tournament, the Eagles saw both Kelsea Dague and Abby Alderman earn spots on the All-MAC Tournament Team. All the award winners, with the exception of Lawrence (graduation) return for the 2025 season.

GUESS WHO'S BACK?
The 2025 Eagles will feature 33 players with 22 returning from the 2024 season. Of those 22 returners, 14 are back after playing each of the past two seasons with the program.

BRINGING IT BACK • PART I
A majority of the team's 2024 statistical production is back for 2025 as 75.6 percent of the scoring is back along with 100 percent of the game-winning goals scored. Additionally, the team is returning 79.9 percent of the ground balls collected and 87.9 percent of the draw controls won.

BRINGING IT BACK • PART II
According to the final 2024 NCAA statistics, Mackenzie Blackwell capped her sophomore season ranked among the top 25 in a pair of career categories among active players. Her 5.53 draw controls per game ranked 17th while her 2.75 goals per game stood 25th. For just the games played in 2024, Blackwell ranked 29th nationally with 5.88 draw controls and 40th in goals per game at 3.06.

SENSATIONAL SCOOPING
Maddie Porter finished her freshman season ranked first in the NCAA with 4.20 ground balls per game, marking the first time an EMU player has won a statistical category award from the NCAA in program history. Porter's average made her one of just two players nationally to average more than 4.0 per game with Hanna Pawela (Duquesne) second at 4.12 ground balls per game.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM
The Eagles ranked among the national top 25 in four categories at the end of the 2024 season, including ranking second in fewest fouls committed at 7.94 per game. Additionally, Eastern was 17th in ground balls per game (18.31), 19th in draw controls per game (15.75), and 25th in save percentage (.459).

LEAGUE LEADERS • INDIVIDUAL
Three Eagles led the MAC statistically in 2024, including Avery Schwab in assists (1.19), Maddie Porter in ground balls (4.20), and Mackenzie Blackwell in draw controls (5.88). Additionally, the Eagles had four players ranked second or third, including Sydney Lawrence in caused turnovers (2nd/1.77), Blackwell in goals (3rd/3.06), Lawrence in points (3rd/3.54), and Porter in goals against average (12.17).

LEAGUE LEADERS • TEAM
As a team, the Eagles led the MAC in eight statistical categories last year. Eastern topped the charts in goals (11.00), points (16.13), shots on goal (19.88), woman-up goals (2.19), save percentage (.459), ground balls (18.31), draw controls (15.75), and fewest fouls committed (7.94).

AMONG THE BEST
The Eagles also ranked second in the MAC in four categories, giving them top two rankings in 12-of-16 categories. The four areas the team finished second included assists (5.13), shots (26.69), goals against average (11.92), and caused turnovers (7.69).

AHOY, CAPTAINS!
Four Eagles were selected as team captains for the 2025 season. The captains include sophomores Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsea Dague, and Annika Wozney.

HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The remaining 11 players on the roster are newcomers, including 10 freshmen and one transfer in junior Payton Bloedow.

SEA TO SHINING SEA
The EMU roster features 28 American and five Canadians with players hailing from 13 states and two provinces. Maryland dominates the roster with nine players while Michigan (three), Illinois (two), Georgia (two), Minnesota (two), and Pennsylvania (two) each have multiple representatives. Of the Canadian contingent, three hail from Ontario with two coming from British Columbia.

A MADDIE OF FACT
Maddie Dugan is entering her first season as the head coach of the Eagles after being hired Aug. 8, 2024. The third head coach in program history, Dugan came to Ypsilanti after a successful season at Detroit Mercy, where she was named the 2024 MAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Titans to the MAC Tournament final. Dugan served as the head coach at Trine University, an NCAA Division III program, from 2017-21 where she helped see the program increase its win totals over her five seasons in charge. A standout on the field, Dugan was recently inducted into the Adrian College Athletic Hall of Fame where she helped the Bulldogs to four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

ADDING MORE
The coaching staff grew by two with the additions of Mikela McCauley as an assistant coach and Liv Dameron as a graduate assistant. McCauley came to Ypsilanti after serving as an undergraduate coach at Vanderbilt while Dameron finished her playing career with the Eagles in 2024 as a graduate player.

AND YOU ARE?
The Eagles' schedule features 16 games with seven at home and nine away. Among those 16 opponents are five the program has previously not played. The newcomers to the schedule include home games with San Diego State (Feb. 9), Canisius (March 1), and Oregon (April 11), and road games at Presbyterian (Feb. 25) and Gardner-Webb (Feb. 27).

ON THE HORIZON
The Eagles return to action Saturday, Feb. 15, when they venture to South Bend, Ind., to take on the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame. The game between the Eagles and ninth-ranked Fighting Irish will start at 3 p.m. and will air live on ACCNX.

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Alderman

Mackenzie Blackwell

Payton Bloedow

Samantha Borgert

Kelsea Dague

Sydney Lawrence

Karly Low

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics