Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 7
Indianapolis, Ind.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-2
10
at
4
Butler
0-5
1
2
3
4
F
Eastern Michigan
2
1
4
3
10
Butler
0
3
1
0
4
Strong Second Half Propels Lacrosse to 10-4 Win at Butler
3/7/2025 6:01:00 PM | Lacrosse
Blackwell and Grollman each recorded hat tricks to help the Eagles to their fourth win in a row
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- Mackenzie Blackwell and Tracy Grollman each tallied hat tricks, including scoring combining for five goals in the second half, as the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team pulled away from Butler University to claim a 10-4 road win at Varsity Field in Indianapolis, Ind., March 7. The win extended the Eagles' (4-2) program-record winning streak to four consecutive games with three of those coming on the road.
How It Happened
In what began as a low-scoring affair, the Eagles were the first team to find the back of the net as Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored unassisted with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter to give EMU a 1-0 lead. With two seconds to play in the stanza, Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) scored her first of the game to make it 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles extended their lead to 3-0 with Blackwell scoring once again. From there, the Bulldogs scored three consecutive goals to tie the game at 3-3 as the teams headed into halftime. The three goals scored in the first half marked the fewest in a game this season with the previous low coming on the four goals scored in the opening half at No. 11 Notre Dame (Feb. 15).
Following the intermission, the start of the third quarter mirrored that of the first as neither team scored until 6:34 remaining in the quarter as Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) netted her first on the advantage with Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) recording the assist. The goal took one second longer to score than Henry's opening goal that came with 6:35 remaining in the first. Despite the wait in scoring, the Eagles found their footing as the scored three more times in the quarter, starting with Caitlin Beahm (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) scoring on an assist from Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) at 5:49 and Henry netting her second just 37 seconds later. After BU halted EMU's scoring run at three goals, Grollman netted her second with 47 seconds remaining to make it 7-4 in favor of the visitors heading into the fourth.
In the final frame, EMU duplicated its first quarter performance as the Eagles scored goals and blanked the Bulldogs. Blackwell scored back-to-back goals on free-position shots, marking the fourth time in her career she has scored a pair of goals from the fan in the same game and tying for the second-highest total in a game in program history. Grollman completed the scoring with her third of the game on Alderman's second helper of the day to send EMU home with the 10-4 win. Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) was big in the game with six saves while allowing just four goals, the fewest allowed in a game in program history.
Game Notes - INDIVIDUAL
» Mackenzie Blackwell tallied four goals for her fifth hat trick in six games this year and the 22nd time in her career. Blackwell added one draw control in the game, which brought her career total to 200, making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone total.
» The goal scored by Mackenzie Blackwell at the end of the first quarter (two seconds remaining) marked the second-latest goal scored to end a quarter in program history, surpassed only by Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook), who scored a goal with one second remaining before halftime at Presbyterian (Feb. 25) last week. The goal for Blackwell is the latest scored in the first quarter, surpassing the goal scored by Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) at Duquesne, Feb. 15, 2024, with 11 seconds showing.
» Mackenzie Blackwell scored two of her goals on free-position shots, marking the fourth time in her career she accomplished the feat for the Eagles and the first since she scored two at home against Xavier, April 17, 2024. Blackwell's total ties her for second in single game history with only Sydney Lawrence ahead of her after she scored three at Butler, March 26, 2023.
» Tracy Grollman recorded her first hat trick of the season and the fourth of her career. The last time she scored three or more goals in a game was Feb. 25, 2024, with three goals at Howard.
» Abby Alderman tallied a pair of assists for the first time this season while also recording two caused turnovers, which tied her career high for the third time. The last time she caused two turnovers in a game was March 15, 2024, against Butler.
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) tied her season and career-highs as she recorded three ground balls for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career. She previously had three against San Diego State (Feb. 9) in the 2025 season opener.
» Maddie Porter faced just 10 shots in the game as she made six saves and allowed four goals. Porter, who kept Butler scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, brought her career saves total to 197, leaving her three away from becoming the first EMU player to record 200 saves in a career.
Game Notes - TEAM
» The Eagles have won four consecutive games for the first time in program history with their 10-4 win at Butler. Additionally, their 4-2 record has the team two games above .500 for the first time in program history.
» The four goals allowed are the fewest in program history, surpassing the five allowed in a 16-5 win at Howard, Feb. 25, 2024. Additionally, the game marked the seventh time the Eagles have limited an opponent to a single-digit goal total and the second this year (W, 16-6, at Gardner-Webb, Feb. 27).
» Eastern caused seven turnovers in the game, its third-highest total on the season. The only games EMU recorded more came with 14 against San Diego State (Feb. 9) and 12 against Canisius (March 1).
Up Next
Eastern returns to action on the road Sunday, March 9, in a 12 p.m. game at the University of Cincinnati. The Eagles and Bearcats will meet inside Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the game being streamed live on ESPN+.
How It Happened
In what began as a low-scoring affair, the Eagles were the first team to find the back of the net as Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored unassisted with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter to give EMU a 1-0 lead. With two seconds to play in the stanza, Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) scored her first of the game to make it 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles extended their lead to 3-0 with Blackwell scoring once again. From there, the Bulldogs scored three consecutive goals to tie the game at 3-3 as the teams headed into halftime. The three goals scored in the first half marked the fewest in a game this season with the previous low coming on the four goals scored in the opening half at No. 11 Notre Dame (Feb. 15).
Following the intermission, the start of the third quarter mirrored that of the first as neither team scored until 6:34 remaining in the quarter as Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) netted her first on the advantage with Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) recording the assist. The goal took one second longer to score than Henry's opening goal that came with 6:35 remaining in the first. Despite the wait in scoring, the Eagles found their footing as the scored three more times in the quarter, starting with Caitlin Beahm (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) scoring on an assist from Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) at 5:49 and Henry netting her second just 37 seconds later. After BU halted EMU's scoring run at three goals, Grollman netted her second with 47 seconds remaining to make it 7-4 in favor of the visitors heading into the fourth.
In the final frame, EMU duplicated its first quarter performance as the Eagles scored goals and blanked the Bulldogs. Blackwell scored back-to-back goals on free-position shots, marking the fourth time in her career she has scored a pair of goals from the fan in the same game and tying for the second-highest total in a game in program history. Grollman completed the scoring with her third of the game on Alderman's second helper of the day to send EMU home with the 10-4 win. Maddie Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) was big in the game with six saves while allowing just four goals, the fewest allowed in a game in program history.
Game Notes - INDIVIDUAL
» Mackenzie Blackwell tallied four goals for her fifth hat trick in six games this year and the 22nd time in her career. Blackwell added one draw control in the game, which brought her career total to 200, making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone total.
» The goal scored by Mackenzie Blackwell at the end of the first quarter (two seconds remaining) marked the second-latest goal scored to end a quarter in program history, surpassed only by Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook), who scored a goal with one second remaining before halftime at Presbyterian (Feb. 25) last week. The goal for Blackwell is the latest scored in the first quarter, surpassing the goal scored by Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) at Duquesne, Feb. 15, 2024, with 11 seconds showing.
» Mackenzie Blackwell scored two of her goals on free-position shots, marking the fourth time in her career she accomplished the feat for the Eagles and the first since she scored two at home against Xavier, April 17, 2024. Blackwell's total ties her for second in single game history with only Sydney Lawrence ahead of her after she scored three at Butler, March 26, 2023.
» Tracy Grollman recorded her first hat trick of the season and the fourth of her career. The last time she scored three or more goals in a game was Feb. 25, 2024, with three goals at Howard.
» Abby Alderman tallied a pair of assists for the first time this season while also recording two caused turnovers, which tied her career high for the third time. The last time she caused two turnovers in a game was March 15, 2024, against Butler.
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) tied her season and career-highs as she recorded three ground balls for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career. She previously had three against San Diego State (Feb. 9) in the 2025 season opener.
» Maddie Porter faced just 10 shots in the game as she made six saves and allowed four goals. Porter, who kept Butler scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, brought her career saves total to 197, leaving her three away from becoming the first EMU player to record 200 saves in a career.
Game Notes - TEAM
» The Eagles have won four consecutive games for the first time in program history with their 10-4 win at Butler. Additionally, their 4-2 record has the team two games above .500 for the first time in program history.
» The four goals allowed are the fewest in program history, surpassing the five allowed in a 16-5 win at Howard, Feb. 25, 2024. Additionally, the game marked the seventh time the Eagles have limited an opponent to a single-digit goal total and the second this year (W, 16-6, at Gardner-Webb, Feb. 27).
» Eastern caused seven turnovers in the game, its third-highest total on the season. The only games EMU recorded more came with 14 against San Diego State (Feb. 9) and 12 against Canisius (March 1).
Up Next
Eastern returns to action on the road Sunday, March 9, in a 12 p.m. game at the University of Cincinnati. The Eagles and Bearcats will meet inside Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the game being streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
EMU
BU
Shots
32
14
Turnovers
12
12
Caused Turnovers
7
6
Draw Controls
12
5
Free-Position Shots
8
1
Ground Balls
13
13
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
3
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
1
Players Mentioned
M
/ LacrosseA
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
M
/ LacrosseA
/ LacrosseM
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
G
/ Lacrosse
A
/ LacrosseLacrosse Updates EMU's Championship Trophy
Friday, May 02
Lacrosse Falls to Marquette on Senior Day
Friday, April 25
EMU Defeats Akron, 16-12, to Punch Ticket to MAC Tournament
Sunday, April 20
Ainsley McLain Talks about Pediatric Cancer
Tuesday, April 08