Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, February 9
Ypsilanti, Mich.
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
0-1
10
vs
15
San Diego State
2-0
1
2
3
4
F
San Diego State
4
3
1
7
15
Eastern Michigan
3
3
1
3
10
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Lacrosse Drops Hard-Fought Opener to San Diego State
2/9/2025 3:53:00 PM | Lacrosse
Blackwell and Wilson each scored four goals for the Eagles in the loss
Box Score | Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team dropped its 2025 season opener at home Sunday, Feb. 9, as the Eagles couldn't hang on to defeat visiting San Diego State University, 15-10, inside the EMU Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) and Katheryn Wilson (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) scored four goals each for the Eagles (0-1) as a 7-3 fourth quarter helped the Aztecs (2-0) escape with the win.
How It Happened
Blackwell scored the first goal of the game and the season for the Eagles less than three minutes into the game before a pair of goals by the visitors saw SDSU take a 2-1 lead. The teams traded goals to close out the first quarter as Wilson and Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored their first collegiate goals to send the Eagles into the break down by one (4-3).
Wilson scored the first of her free-position goals to open the second and tied things at 4-4 and Blackwell's second of the day made it 5-5 minutes later. The Aztecs scored two in a row before Blackwell netted her third of the game to send the game to halftime with EMU trailing, 7-6.
After 13 goals were scored in the first half, the third quarter was considerably quieter as each team scored just once. After the visitors extended their lead to two, Wilson collected her hat trick with her second free-position goal to make it 8-7 heading into the fourth.
In the final frame, the teams combined for 10 total goals with SDSU scoring seven to take the win. After Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) brought the score to 9-8, the Aztecs scored three consecutive shorthanded goals to make it 12-8 before Blackwell's fourth of the day halted the run. From there, SDSU added one goal before Wilson netted her fourth to cut the lead to 13-10, but the Aztecs closed with two more goals to end the game, 15-10.
Game Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 0-3 all-time in their season-opening game and 0-2 when that game is played at home. Additionally, Eastern is now 1-2 in its home opener.
» The game marked the first for Maddie Dugan as the head coach of the Eagles.
» Three Eagles earned their first collegiate starts, including sophomore Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County) and freshmen Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary) and Erin Humphrey (Auburn Hills, Mich./Troy).
» Five players made their EMU debuts with four also making their collegiate debuts. The four freshmen that played in their first collegiate contest included Stella Burke, Marley Helton (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti), Erin Humphrey, and Katheryn Wilson, while junior transfer Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) also saw her first action with EMU.
» Both Mackenzie Blackwell and Katheryn Wilson tallied hat tricks in the game as each scored a team-high four goals. The four goals marked the 18th career hat trick for Blackwell and her 12th game with four or more goals scored while Wilson tallied a hat trick in her collegiate debut. The four goals tied for the 10th-highest single-game total in EMU history.
» With her four points on four goals, Mackenzie Blackwell inched closer to the century mark as she now has 92 career goals and 99 career points (92 goals and seven assists).
» Along with Katheryn Wilson, three rookies tallied their first collegiate points in the game as both Emerson Henry and Stella Burke earned one point each on one goal and one assist, respectively. Wilson finished with four points on four goals.
» Katheryn Wilson scored two of her four goals on free-position shots. Those two goals tied her for second on the single-game ledger and marked the ninth time an Eagle had scored two free-position goals in one game.
» Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) had a strong outing in goal as she made 11 saves and recorded seven ground balls. The 11 saves ranked as the fifth-most in a single game at EMU and mark the fifth time in her career she has recorded 10 or more in a single game. The NCAA leader in ground balls (4.20/game) in 2024, Porter got off to a strong start as her seven ground balls are the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Series Notes
» Eastern is now 0-1 all-time against San Diego State.
» The game marked the first for the Eagles against a member of the newly formed Big 12 Conference. EMU will travel to play Big 12 member Cincinnati, March 9.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Saturday, Feb. 15, when they venture to South Bend, Ind., to take on 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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team dropped its 2025 season opener at home Sunday, Feb. 9, as the Eagles couldn't hang on to defeat visiting San Diego State University, 15-10, inside the EMU Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) and Katheryn Wilson (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) scored four goals each for the Eagles (0-1) as a 7-3 fourth quarter helped the Aztecs (2-0) escape with the win.
How It Happened
Blackwell scored the first goal of the game and the season for the Eagles less than three minutes into the game before a pair of goals by the visitors saw SDSU take a 2-1 lead. The teams traded goals to close out the first quarter as Wilson and Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored their first collegiate goals to send the Eagles into the break down by one (4-3).
Wilson scored the first of her free-position goals to open the second and tied things at 4-4 and Blackwell's second of the day made it 5-5 minutes later. The Aztecs scored two in a row before Blackwell netted her third of the game to send the game to halftime with EMU trailing, 7-6.
After 13 goals were scored in the first half, the third quarter was considerably quieter as each team scored just once. After the visitors extended their lead to two, Wilson collected her hat trick with her second free-position goal to make it 8-7 heading into the fourth.
In the final frame, the teams combined for 10 total goals with SDSU scoring seven to take the win. After Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) brought the score to 9-8, the Aztecs scored three consecutive shorthanded goals to make it 12-8 before Blackwell's fourth of the day halted the run. From there, SDSU added one goal before Wilson netted her fourth to cut the lead to 13-10, but the Aztecs closed with two more goals to end the game, 15-10.
Game Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 0-3 all-time in their season-opening game and 0-2 when that game is played at home. Additionally, Eastern is now 1-2 in its home opener.
» The game marked the first for Maddie Dugan as the head coach of the Eagles.
» Three Eagles earned their first collegiate starts, including sophomore Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County) and freshmen Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary) and Erin Humphrey (Auburn Hills, Mich./Troy).
» Five players made their EMU debuts with four also making their collegiate debuts. The four freshmen that played in their first collegiate contest included Stella Burke, Marley Helton (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti), Erin Humphrey, and Katheryn Wilson, while junior transfer Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) also saw her first action with EMU.
» Both Mackenzie Blackwell and Katheryn Wilson tallied hat tricks in the game as each scored a team-high four goals. The four goals marked the 18th career hat trick for Blackwell and her 12th game with four or more goals scored while Wilson tallied a hat trick in her collegiate debut. The four goals tied for the 10th-highest single-game total in EMU history.
» With her four points on four goals, Mackenzie Blackwell inched closer to the century mark as she now has 92 career goals and 99 career points (92 goals and seven assists).
» Along with Katheryn Wilson, three rookies tallied their first collegiate points in the game as both Emerson Henry and Stella Burke earned one point each on one goal and one assist, respectively. Wilson finished with four points on four goals.
» Katheryn Wilson scored two of her four goals on free-position shots. Those two goals tied her for second on the single-game ledger and marked the ninth time an Eagle had scored two free-position goals in one game.
» Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) had a strong outing in goal as she made 11 saves and recorded seven ground balls. The 11 saves ranked as the fifth-most in a single game at EMU and mark the fifth time in her career she has recorded 10 or more in a single game. The NCAA leader in ground balls (4.20/game) in 2024, Porter got off to a strong start as her seven ground balls are the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Series Notes
» Eastern is now 0-1 all-time against San Diego State.
» The game marked the first for the Eagles against a member of the newly formed Big 12 Conference. EMU will travel to play Big 12 member Cincinnati, March 9.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Saturday, Feb. 15, when they venture to South Bend, Ind., to take on 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.
Team Stats
SDSU
EMU
Shots
35
25
Turnovers
17
22
Caused Turnovers
16
14
Draw Controls
15
13
Free-Position Shots
7
5
Ground Balls
29
21
Game Leaders
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
1
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
1
G
1
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
2
Players Mentioned
M
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ LacrosseM
/ Lacrosse
D
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M
/ Lacrosse
G
/ LacrosseM
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