Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 14
Ypsilanti, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
3-1
9
vs
7
Xavier
0-2
1
2
3
4
F
Xavier
1
4
1
1
7
Eastern Michigan
1
2
2
4
9
Photo by: Rachel Costello
Late Run Brings Lacrosse from Behind to Down Xavier, 9-7
2/14/2026 6:31:00 PM | Lacrosse
Eastern scored four goals in the fourth to erase a two-goal deficit and claim the victory
Highlights
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Kelsea Dague scored a hat trick with six other players adding one goal to help the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team come from behind to defeat visiting Xavier University, 9-7, Feb. 14, inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (3-1), who trailed by as many as three goals late in the second quarter, chipped away at the Musketeers' (0-2) lead and used a four-goal run to close the game and secure the win. With the win, the Eagles are off to their best start in program history.
How It Happened
It took time for both teams to settle into the game as the first goal didn't arrive until just over halfway into the first quarter when Xavier tallied at 7:29. Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) scored her first of the day to even the score with 56 seconds to play and send the game into the second quarter tied at 1-1. In the second, the Musketeers quickly reclaimed the lead before Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) responded two minutes later for another tie. With 9:51 to play in the second, the visitors would start a three-goal run that would stake Xavier to a 5-2 lead with 3:14 to play in the half. Roya Khaleeli (Rancho Palo Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) stopped the run as she scored on a pass from Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) with 1:47 to play in the second and send the game to the halftime break with the Eagles trailing, 5-3.
Following intermission, Eastern would score the first two goals of the half to tie the game at 5-5. Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary) scored on a free-position shot before Dague netted her second after cutting through the defense and scoring. Xavier responded with the next two goals with one at the end of the third and the second in the early minutes of the fourth to reclaim a two-goal advantage. Despite the deficit, Eastern dug deep and scored four consecutive goals to claim the win. The run started with 11:14 to play as Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored a free-position goal while playing a woman-up with Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) following one minute later as she slashed in front of the cage and finished off a pass from Dague to tie the game. Dague completed her hat trick at 5:40 to give the Eagles their first lead of the day before Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County) scored less than one minute later to secure the win.
Individual Notes
» Kelsea Dague continued to have the hot hand as she tallied a hat trick in consecutive games for the first time since early April of 2024 when she netted four each at Detroit Mercy (April 7) and at home against Central Michigan (April 14). Dague, who now has four career hat tricks, tallied the game-winning goal against the Musketeers to record the second of her career after first accomplishing the feat against the Titans on April 7, 2024.
» Kelsea Dague added one assist for four points in the game, her most this season and her highest total since she recorded four against Central Michigan (April 14, 2024) when she scored four goals. The game against Xavier marked her sixth career game with at least one goal and one assist and her second career game with a hat trick of goals and at least one assist after recording four goals and two assists at Detroit Mercy (April 7, 2024).
» Kendall Nagle scored the final goal of the game to help seal the win and recorded her first point of the season in the process. The fourth goal of her career is the first she scored since netting one last year against No. 16 Michigan (April 2, 2025).
» Despite being held without a goal while being constantly face-guarded, Mackenzie Blackwell still found the score sheet as she made it back-to-back games with multiple assists for the first time in her career as she dished out two helpers in the game. She has now dished out at least one assist in three consecutive games for just the second time in her career after she dished one each against Robert Morris in the final two games of the 2024 season and one at home against San Diego State in last year's opener.
» Roya Khaleeli scored her first goal of the season and her first since the home game against Akron last year (April 20, 2025). While adding her first caused turnover of the season, she also tallied two draw controls to not only tie her season high but also become just the seventh player in program history to reach 30 draws for a career.
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) had an outstanding defensive game as she recorded a career-high four ground balls while tying her season high of two caused turnovers, which she recorded in three consecutive games. Low also recorded one blocked shot in the third quarter as the Eagles trailed by two goals.
» Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) was all over the field again for the Eagles and finished the game with a career-high three caused turnovers. Her total tied for the seventh-highest in a single game in program and marked the 14th time an Eagle has tallied three.
» Maddy Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) finished the game with eight saves, allowed just seven goals, recorded seven ground balls, and caused two turnovers to move her record to 3-1. With her saves, she now has 344 for her career, leaving her six away from 350 while her seven ground balls brought her career total to 149.
Team Notes
» With the win, the Eagles improved to 3-1 overall while the Musketeers fell to 0-2.
» The Eagles are off to their best start in program history at 3-1. The previous four-game record was set in both 2024 and 2025 when each team opened their campaigns with 2-2 records.
» Eastern is off to a 3-0 start at home, its best opening stretch in program history. The previous best was a 2-0 start held by the 2024 squad that fell in its third home contest of the season to visiting No. 5 Michigan.
» The Eagles have won three consecutive home games for the third time and the first since last year's team defeated Canisius, Youngstown State, and Detroit Mercy. The first instance spanned two seasons and started with the home win over Detroit Mercy that closed out the 2023 season before EMU defeated Butler and Kent State in its first two home contests of 2024.
» Eastern secured its first win against Xavier after dropping the first two in the series, both of which were one-goal finishes. The Eagles are 1-2 against XU and improved to 4-7 all-time against members of the BIG EAST, including a 2-1 record this year following a loss at Marquette and a home win over Butler.
» The two goals allowed to XU in the second half tied for the fifth-fewest allowed in any half of one game in program history and tied for the third-fewest in the second half.
» The seven total goals allowed the Musketeers tied for the sixth-fewest surrendered in any game in program history while tying for the second-fewest in a home contest after holding Delaware State to seven, March 7, 2023. The record is six allowed to Youngstown State, March 23, 2025.
» For the second consecutive game, the Eagles' defense forced many caused turnovers with the 14 collected against the Musketeers to tie for the third-highest total in a single game in program history. Additionally, the total stands as the Indoor Practice Facility record, surpassing the 13 recorded against Lindenwood (Feb. 11) and shared by Michigan (April 3, 2024) and Niagara (Feb. 16, 2023).
» The Eagles recorded 27 ground balls to break the IPF record and tie for the sixth-highest total in program history. The previous record was 25 set by Eastern against Butler (Feb. 8) and Central Michigan (April 5, 2023).
Up Next
With its three-game home stand complete, the Eagles will embark on a four-game road trip that begins Feb. 18 against Canisius. The Eagles and Golden Griffins will meet in Buffalo, N.Y., for a 3 p.m. game that will be streamed live on the Canisius website, GoGriffs.com.
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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Kelsea Dague scored a hat trick with six other players adding one goal to help the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team come from behind to defeat visiting Xavier University, 9-7, Feb. 14, inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (3-1), who trailed by as many as three goals late in the second quarter, chipped away at the Musketeers' (0-2) lead and used a four-goal run to close the game and secure the win. With the win, the Eagles are off to their best start in program history.
How It Happened
It took time for both teams to settle into the game as the first goal didn't arrive until just over halfway into the first quarter when Xavier tallied at 7:29. Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) scored her first of the day to even the score with 56 seconds to play and send the game into the second quarter tied at 1-1. In the second, the Musketeers quickly reclaimed the lead before Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) responded two minutes later for another tie. With 9:51 to play in the second, the visitors would start a three-goal run that would stake Xavier to a 5-2 lead with 3:14 to play in the half. Roya Khaleeli (Rancho Palo Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) stopped the run as she scored on a pass from Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) with 1:47 to play in the second and send the game to the halftime break with the Eagles trailing, 5-3.
Following intermission, Eastern would score the first two goals of the half to tie the game at 5-5. Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary) scored on a free-position shot before Dague netted her second after cutting through the defense and scoring. Xavier responded with the next two goals with one at the end of the third and the second in the early minutes of the fourth to reclaim a two-goal advantage. Despite the deficit, Eastern dug deep and scored four consecutive goals to claim the win. The run started with 11:14 to play as Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) scored a free-position goal while playing a woman-up with Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) following one minute later as she slashed in front of the cage and finished off a pass from Dague to tie the game. Dague completed her hat trick at 5:40 to give the Eagles their first lead of the day before Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County) scored less than one minute later to secure the win.
Individual Notes
» Kelsea Dague continued to have the hot hand as she tallied a hat trick in consecutive games for the first time since early April of 2024 when she netted four each at Detroit Mercy (April 7) and at home against Central Michigan (April 14). Dague, who now has four career hat tricks, tallied the game-winning goal against the Musketeers to record the second of her career after first accomplishing the feat against the Titans on April 7, 2024.
» Kelsea Dague added one assist for four points in the game, her most this season and her highest total since she recorded four against Central Michigan (April 14, 2024) when she scored four goals. The game against Xavier marked her sixth career game with at least one goal and one assist and her second career game with a hat trick of goals and at least one assist after recording four goals and two assists at Detroit Mercy (April 7, 2024).
» Kendall Nagle scored the final goal of the game to help seal the win and recorded her first point of the season in the process. The fourth goal of her career is the first she scored since netting one last year against No. 16 Michigan (April 2, 2025).
» Despite being held without a goal while being constantly face-guarded, Mackenzie Blackwell still found the score sheet as she made it back-to-back games with multiple assists for the first time in her career as she dished out two helpers in the game. She has now dished out at least one assist in three consecutive games for just the second time in her career after she dished one each against Robert Morris in the final two games of the 2024 season and one at home against San Diego State in last year's opener.
» Roya Khaleeli scored her first goal of the season and her first since the home game against Akron last year (April 20, 2025). While adding her first caused turnover of the season, she also tallied two draw controls to not only tie her season high but also become just the seventh player in program history to reach 30 draws for a career.
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) had an outstanding defensive game as she recorded a career-high four ground balls while tying her season high of two caused turnovers, which she recorded in three consecutive games. Low also recorded one blocked shot in the third quarter as the Eagles trailed by two goals.
» Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) was all over the field again for the Eagles and finished the game with a career-high three caused turnovers. Her total tied for the seventh-highest in a single game in program and marked the 14th time an Eagle has tallied three.
» Maddy Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) finished the game with eight saves, allowed just seven goals, recorded seven ground balls, and caused two turnovers to move her record to 3-1. With her saves, she now has 344 for her career, leaving her six away from 350 while her seven ground balls brought her career total to 149.
Team Notes
» With the win, the Eagles improved to 3-1 overall while the Musketeers fell to 0-2.
» The Eagles are off to their best start in program history at 3-1. The previous four-game record was set in both 2024 and 2025 when each team opened their campaigns with 2-2 records.
» Eastern is off to a 3-0 start at home, its best opening stretch in program history. The previous best was a 2-0 start held by the 2024 squad that fell in its third home contest of the season to visiting No. 5 Michigan.
» The Eagles have won three consecutive home games for the third time and the first since last year's team defeated Canisius, Youngstown State, and Detroit Mercy. The first instance spanned two seasons and started with the home win over Detroit Mercy that closed out the 2023 season before EMU defeated Butler and Kent State in its first two home contests of 2024.
» Eastern secured its first win against Xavier after dropping the first two in the series, both of which were one-goal finishes. The Eagles are 1-2 against XU and improved to 4-7 all-time against members of the BIG EAST, including a 2-1 record this year following a loss at Marquette and a home win over Butler.
» The two goals allowed to XU in the second half tied for the fifth-fewest allowed in any half of one game in program history and tied for the third-fewest in the second half.
» The seven total goals allowed the Musketeers tied for the sixth-fewest surrendered in any game in program history while tying for the second-fewest in a home contest after holding Delaware State to seven, March 7, 2023. The record is six allowed to Youngstown State, March 23, 2025.
» For the second consecutive game, the Eagles' defense forced many caused turnovers with the 14 collected against the Musketeers to tie for the third-highest total in a single game in program history. Additionally, the total stands as the Indoor Practice Facility record, surpassing the 13 recorded against Lindenwood (Feb. 11) and shared by Michigan (April 3, 2024) and Niagara (Feb. 16, 2023).
» The Eagles recorded 27 ground balls to break the IPF record and tie for the sixth-highest total in program history. The previous record was 25 set by Eastern against Butler (Feb. 8) and Central Michigan (April 5, 2023).
Up Next
With its three-game home stand complete, the Eagles will embark on a four-game road trip that begins Feb. 18 against Canisius. The Eagles and Golden Griffins will meet in Buffalo, N.Y., for a 3 p.m. game that will be streamed live on the Canisius website, GoGriffs.com.
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.
Team Stats
XAV
EMU
Shots
19
31
Turnovers
18
16
Caused Turnovers
14
14
Draw Controls
5
13
Free-Position Shots
1
8
Ground Balls
24
27
Game Leaders
Midfielder
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
1
Attacker
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
Midfielder
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Attacker
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ LacrosseA
/ LacrosseM
/ LacrosseA
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M
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