Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, February 8
Ypsilanti, Mich.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
1-1
12
vs
8
Butler
1-1
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2
3
4
F
Butler
1
3
0
4
8
Eastern Michigan
3
4
0
5
12
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Blackwell Nets Five to Lead Lacrosse to 12-8 Win
2/8/2026 4:46:00 PM | Lacrosse
Eastern secured its first win of the year by defeating Butler in EMU’s home opener
Photos
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Mackenzie Blackwell scored five goals while Katheryn Wilson added a hat trick to help the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team capture a 12-8 victory in its home opener over visiting Butler University Sunday, Feb. 8, inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (1-1) rebounded from an opening-game loss to secure the win by handing the Bulldogs (1-1) their first loss of the season.
How It Happened
Eastern got on the board first with a pair of woman-up goals as the Eagles would score a facility-record six times on the advantage on the day, including the first two goals of the game from Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern). Blackwell scored the first at 12:20 on a pass from Wilson (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) before making it 2-0 with a free-position goal at 7:44. The visitors cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal at 1:42, but Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent), off a pass from Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School), scored just 39 seconds later to send the game into the second quarter with EMU ahead, 3-1.
The Bulldogs closed the gap once again with a goal early in the second before Wilson scored back-to-back goals, including her first on a pass from Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County), who recorded her first career assist, before adding a free-position goal for a 5-2 lead. After two goals from the visitors made it a one-goal game, the Eagles responded by scoring twice more, starting with Blackwell finishing her hat trick with a woman-up free-position goal and Ab. Alderman adding her second of the day for a 7-4 halftime lead.
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter before BU tallied twice in early succession to open the fourth and cut the EMU lead to 7-6. The Eagles, however, responded with two goals, including Blackwell scoring at 10:40 before assisting on an Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) goal with 6:22 to play. The Bulldogs added one more, but the Eagles would put the game out of reach with a three-goal run, starting by Wilson completing her hat trick off a pass from Am. Alderman. Blackwell scored her fifth off a Wilson pass before Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) tallied the final EMU goal on a pass from Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary). Butler scored with 1:04 to play but got no closer in the 12-8 final.
Individual Notes
» Mackenzie Blackwell finished the game with seven points on five goals and a career-high two assists. It marked the 41st time 51 games she has scored at least two goals while recording her 32nd career hat trick. Her five goals tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in program history while her seven points bettered her EMU Indoor Practice Facility record of six tallied against Central Michigan, April 5, 2023. Additionally, her four woman-up goals set a single-game record for the IPF while also breaking the school's single-game record of three she recorded at Youngstown State, April 8, 2023.
» Katheryn Wilson finished the game with three goals and two assists for five points, her third-highest point total with the Eagles and her highest since she tallied eight on six goals and two assists against YSU, March 23, 2025. Wilson recorded her sixth career hat trick and her first since April 11, 2025, when she scored three on Oregon. Additionally, her two assists tied her career high, marking the fourth-time she has recorded multiple helpers in the same game.
» Abby Alderman secured her first two points of the year as she tallied two goals in the win. It marked the eighth time in her career she has scored multiple goals in a single game and the first since she netted two against Akron, April 20, 2025.
» Amber Alderman also scored her first points of 2026 as she picked up two with one goal and one assist. Alderman has now recorded at least one goal and one assist in the same game eight times in her career with the most recent instance coming April 20, 2025, at home against Akron.
» The Eagles won the draw control battle, 15-7, with Emerson Henry recording a game-high nine and Marley Helton (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) adding a career-high two. The nine draws for Henry marked the seventh time in her career she recorded eight or more in a single game and marks the most she has recorded since grabbing nine against Marquette, April 25, 2025.
» The team recorded 11 caused turnovers with nine different players having at least one including Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) and Kendall Nagle, who both recorded two in the game.
Team Notes
» With the win, the Eagles improved to 1-1 overall while the Bulldogs fell to 1-1.
» Eastern is now 3-1 all-time against Butler and has won three consecutive games, including both meetings in Ypsilanti.
» The Eagles are 2-2 in their home opener with both wins coming against Butler (W, 15-8, March 15, 2024).
» Eastern scored six goals on the woman-up advantage, which ranks as the second-most goals scored on the advantage in a single-game in program history, surpassed only by the seven scored at Youngstown State, April 21, 2024. The six goals also broke the Indoor Practice Facility record of three that was set by San Diego State, Feb. 9, 2025.
» The Eagles broke five team records for games played inside the IPF, including points (21), goals (12), assists (nine), draw controls (15), and caused turnovers (11). All five were previously set April 5, 2023, against Central Michigan when EMU tallied 16 points, 11 goals, five assists, 12 draw controls, and seven caused turnovers.
» The nine assists dished out by the Eagles tied for the fifth-highest total in a single game in program history.
» The eight goals allowed tied for the eighth-fewest surrendered in a game in EMU history and tied for the third-fewest in a home game. Additionally, the four goals allowed in the first half tied for the ninth-fewest allowed in the opening 30 minutes of play while the four allowed in the second half tied for the seventh-fewest.
Up Next
Eastern returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 11, for its second of a three-game home stand as the Eagles will play host to the Lions of Lindenwood University inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. opening draw.
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) -- Mackenzie Blackwell scored five goals while Katheryn Wilson added a hat trick to help the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team capture a 12-8 victory in its home opener over visiting Butler University Sunday, Feb. 8, inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (1-1) rebounded from an opening-game loss to secure the win by handing the Bulldogs (1-1) their first loss of the season.
How It Happened
Eastern got on the board first with a pair of woman-up goals as the Eagles would score a facility-record six times on the advantage on the day, including the first two goals of the game from Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern). Blackwell scored the first at 12:20 on a pass from Wilson (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) before making it 2-0 with a free-position goal at 7:44. The visitors cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal at 1:42, but Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent), off a pass from Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School), scored just 39 seconds later to send the game into the second quarter with EMU ahead, 3-1.
The Bulldogs closed the gap once again with a goal early in the second before Wilson scored back-to-back goals, including her first on a pass from Kendall Nagle (Sudlersville, Md./Queen Anne's County), who recorded her first career assist, before adding a free-position goal for a 5-2 lead. After two goals from the visitors made it a one-goal game, the Eagles responded by scoring twice more, starting with Blackwell finishing her hat trick with a woman-up free-position goal and Ab. Alderman adding her second of the day for a 7-4 halftime lead.
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter before BU tallied twice in early succession to open the fourth and cut the EMU lead to 7-6. The Eagles, however, responded with two goals, including Blackwell scoring at 10:40 before assisting on an Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) goal with 6:22 to play. The Bulldogs added one more, but the Eagles would put the game out of reach with a three-goal run, starting by Wilson completing her hat trick off a pass from Am. Alderman. Blackwell scored her fifth off a Wilson pass before Emerson Henry (Ashburn, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson) tallied the final EMU goal on a pass from Stella Burke (Peterborough, Ontario/St. Peter's Catholic Secondary). Butler scored with 1:04 to play but got no closer in the 12-8 final.
Individual Notes
» Mackenzie Blackwell finished the game with seven points on five goals and a career-high two assists. It marked the 41st time 51 games she has scored at least two goals while recording her 32nd career hat trick. Her five goals tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in program history while her seven points bettered her EMU Indoor Practice Facility record of six tallied against Central Michigan, April 5, 2023. Additionally, her four woman-up goals set a single-game record for the IPF while also breaking the school's single-game record of three she recorded at Youngstown State, April 8, 2023.
» Katheryn Wilson finished the game with three goals and two assists for five points, her third-highest point total with the Eagles and her highest since she tallied eight on six goals and two assists against YSU, March 23, 2025. Wilson recorded her sixth career hat trick and her first since April 11, 2025, when she scored three on Oregon. Additionally, her two assists tied her career high, marking the fourth-time she has recorded multiple helpers in the same game.
» Abby Alderman secured her first two points of the year as she tallied two goals in the win. It marked the eighth time in her career she has scored multiple goals in a single game and the first since she netted two against Akron, April 20, 2025.
» Amber Alderman also scored her first points of 2026 as she picked up two with one goal and one assist. Alderman has now recorded at least one goal and one assist in the same game eight times in her career with the most recent instance coming April 20, 2025, at home against Akron.
» The Eagles won the draw control battle, 15-7, with Emerson Henry recording a game-high nine and Marley Helton (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) adding a career-high two. The nine draws for Henry marked the seventh time in her career she recorded eight or more in a single game and marks the most she has recorded since grabbing nine against Marquette, April 25, 2025.
» The team recorded 11 caused turnovers with nine different players having at least one including Payton Bloedow (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake/Stony Brook) and Kendall Nagle, who both recorded two in the game.
Team Notes
» With the win, the Eagles improved to 1-1 overall while the Bulldogs fell to 1-1.
» Eastern is now 3-1 all-time against Butler and has won three consecutive games, including both meetings in Ypsilanti.
» The Eagles are 2-2 in their home opener with both wins coming against Butler (W, 15-8, March 15, 2024).
» Eastern scored six goals on the woman-up advantage, which ranks as the second-most goals scored on the advantage in a single-game in program history, surpassed only by the seven scored at Youngstown State, April 21, 2024. The six goals also broke the Indoor Practice Facility record of three that was set by San Diego State, Feb. 9, 2025.
» The Eagles broke five team records for games played inside the IPF, including points (21), goals (12), assists (nine), draw controls (15), and caused turnovers (11). All five were previously set April 5, 2023, against Central Michigan when EMU tallied 16 points, 11 goals, five assists, 12 draw controls, and seven caused turnovers.
» The nine assists dished out by the Eagles tied for the fifth-highest total in a single game in program history.
» The eight goals allowed tied for the eighth-fewest surrendered in a game in EMU history and tied for the third-fewest in a home game. Additionally, the four goals allowed in the first half tied for the ninth-fewest allowed in the opening 30 minutes of play while the four allowed in the second half tied for the seventh-fewest.
Up Next
Eastern returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 11, for its second of a three-game home stand as the Eagles will play host to the Lions of Lindenwood University inside the Indoor Practice Facility in Ypsilanti. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. opening draw.
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
BU
EMU
Shots
27
22
Turnovers
13
16
Caused Turnovers
10
11
Draw Controls
7
15
Free-Position Shots
6
3
Ground Balls
25
20
Game Leaders
Attacker
G
5
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Midfielder
G
3
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Midfielder
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
Midfielder
G
1
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
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M
/ Lacrosse
A
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A
/ Lacrosse
M
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M
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M
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