Eagles Head to Detroit for Thursday MACtion

GAME #11 \| at DETROIT MERCY \| MAC ROAD OPENER
Date	Thursday, March 19 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	Titan Field \| Detroit, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Live Statistics \| Watch (ESPN+)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team hits the road this week for its first Mid-American Conference away game of 2026 as the Eagles will travel down the road into Detroit and Titan Field to face the University of Detroit Mercy Thursday, March 19, at 4 p.m. with the game being streamed live on ESPN+. The Eagles (6-4, 1-0 MAC) are looking to start league play at 2-0 for just the second time in program history (3-0 in 2024) and defeat the Titans (0-6, 0-1 MAC) for the fourth consecutive time.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 6-4 overall and 1-0 in MAC play after downing visiting Kent State, 12-6, March 14, in Ypsilanti. The Eagles, who opened MAC play at home for the first time in program history, is 2-2 on the road this year.
» The Eagles and Titans are meeting for the fifth time after meeting twice in 2023 and once each over the past two seasons. Eastern, after falling in the first meeting, 17-7, has won three consecutive meetings with Detroit Mercy, including 13-8 at home last year (4/6/25) and 12-9 in the last meeting at UDM (4/6/24).
» Maddy Porter was named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week, March 17, marking back-to-back weeks she earned the honor and the third time in 2026. She stopped 16 shots to surpass 400 for her career in the win over Kent State, March 14, in Ypsilanti.
» Mackenzie Blackwell recorded five points on three goals and two assists to bring her career total to 200 points. The only player in EMU history to surpass 150 points, Blackwell is one draw control away from 250.
» Tracy Grollman recorded six points on two goals and four assists to bring her season total to 21 helpers and breaking the program's single-season record of 19 set by Avery Schwab in 2024. Grollman broke Schwab's career mark of 45 assists two games earlier and, at 56, is the only player to surpass 50 in a career.
» In the win over Kent State (March 14), the Eagles held the visitors to just one goal in the first half and six total to tie several records. The marks equaled included fewest goals allowed in a game (overall and at home), fewest allowed in a MAC game (overall and at home), fewest goals allowed in any half of play, and fewest goals allowed in the first half of play.
» Maddy Porter recorded a program-record 21 saves in the loss at Vanderbilt (March 4), surpassing her own record of 20 set March 17, 2024, at Marquette. Porter, who tallied a program-record 13 stops in the first half, tied for the national lead for saves in a game with Isabella McCullough of Longwood (21 vs. Liberty, March 4).
» EMU has won four of its five games after trailing at some point, including twice when trailing in the fourth quarter. To aid in those wins, the defense held its opponent scoreless for more than 12 minutes in three of those contests, including the last three victories recorded (12:47 vs. Xavier, 19:00 at Oregon, 14:02 at Austin Peay).
» Five Eagles were named captains for the 2026 season, including Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsey Dague, Maddy Porter, and Annika Wozney.
» The team will feature 12 seniors, including nine that were part of the program's first major signing class in 2022. The group will be honored in Senior Day festivities following the game with Robert Morris, April 18.
» The coaching staff also welcomed two new faces as Irene Carlquist and Ty McGuire were hired as assistant coaches. Carlquist, most recently the head coach at Lees-McRae, will work with the goalkeepers, while McGuire, the former head coach of the men's program at Concordia-Ann Arbor, will work with the defense.
» Maddie Dugan is in her second season guiding the Eagles. The 2024 MAC Coach of the Year at Detroit Mercy, Dugan guided the Eagles to a share of the MAC regular season crown in 2025, the first title in program history.

QUICK RECAP: MAC OPENING WIN
Eastern raced out to a 4-0 lead after the first quarter before building a 7-1 halftime advantage on its way to claiming a 12-6 home win over Kent State, Match 14, in the MAC opener for both sides. The Eagles were paced offensively by Tracy Grollman, who had six points on two goals and four assists, and Mackenzie Blackwell, who tallied five points on her seventh hat trick of the year with two assists. Defensively, nine different players recorded at least one caused turnover, including Blackwell, who had a career-high four, while Maddy Porter halted 16 shots, the most in a game against a MAC foe in program history.

PORTER HONORED... AGAIN
Maddy Porter was huge for the Eagles in their 12-6 defeat of Kent State (March 14) in their MAC opener as she finished with 16 saves and four ground balls while allowing just six goals, the fewest permitted in a game this year, to earn MAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The 16 saves ranked as the fourth-highest in single-game history at EMU while breaking the record for saves in a MAC contest with the previous mark set last year at Kent State (April 13, 2025) when she halted 14 attempts. With her 16 saves, Porter surpassed another milestone as she now has 406 saves in her career. The second player in program history to record 100 career saves, Porter is the only netminder to reach 200, 300, and now 400. Porter currently ranks second nationally in saves with 95 while ranking 10th in saves per game (9.50) and eighth in ground balls per game (3.50).

MAC ROAD OPENERS
Eastern is 1-2 in its first MAC road game and is coming off a 10-9 loss at Robert Morris (March 16) last year. The lone win was an 11-10 win at Akron (March 24, 2024) with the 17-7 loss at Detroit Mercy (April 1, 2023) coming in the Eagles' inaugural MAC contest.

MAC AWAY FROM HOME
Eastern is 4-6 all-time in MAC road contests with its 15-8 victory at Kent State (April 13, 2025) ending a two-game skid in such games. The Eagles were 0-4 away from home in their inaugural season (2023) before going 3-0 in 2024 and 1-2 last year. Eastern is 1-1 against Detroit Mercy when visiting Detroit after claiming a 12-9 win in 2024 (March 24).

BEST START
With a 6-4 record, the 2026 Eagles are off to the best start in program history. The previous best 10-game record for the Eagles was 5-5 that both the 2024 and 2025 squads posted. Should the Eagles defeat Detroit Mercy, the team would post their seventh win in just 11 games, bettering the record of the previous two teams that secured their seventh victories in the 14th contest of their respective seasons.

TOUGH TO CLOSE OUT
The Eagles have won six games in 2026 and trailed in four of those contests with only two wire-to-wire home wins (Butler, Feb. 8, and Kent State, March 14) as the only outliers. Starting with the win over Lindenwood (Feb. 11), Eastern has trailed its opponent in each of the last five games and pulled out a win in four, including victories over Xavier (Feb. 14) and Austin Peay (March 1), when the Eagles trailed in the fourth quarter before claiming victory.

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
Eastern has held foes scoreless for long stretches in the fourth quarter in three victories while scoring goals to help complete come-from-behind wins. The win over Xavier (Feb. 14) saw the Eagles hold the Musketeers scoreless the final 12:47 of the game while scoring four goals to win, 9-7. On the road at Oregon, the Ducks tied the game at nine with four minutes to play in the third before EMU went on a 3-0 run over the final 19 minutes of play for the 12-9 win. Most recently, Eastern held Austin Peay (March 1) scoreless over the final 14:02 while going on a 5-0 run for the 13-10 win. In the victory over Kent State (March 14), Eastern led the entire game and built a 7-1 lead at halftime, turning the tables with a near-shutout in the first half instead of the second.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Through 10 games played, the Eagles have held three teams to single-digit goal totals, including the six allowed to Kent State (March 14) in the MAC opener last week. Those six goals tied for the third-fewest in any game played in program history while tying for the lowest in a home game, a MAC game, and a home MAC game. Those totals have come on the strength of a near-perfect half of play as the Eagles have held five teams to four or fewer goals in a single half of play this year with the one goal scored by Kent State in the first half tying for the lowest of any half as well as the lowest in the first half of play.

POWER OUTAGE
The 2026 season featured a trio of games against 'Power 4' foes with the Eagles going 1-2 in those contests, including its first victory over a 'Power 4' squad with its 12-9 road win at Oregon (Feb. 22). Eastern played back-to-back games against 'Power 4' teams and dropped both, including an 11-8 loss at Vanderbilt (March 4) and a 16-9 setback at home to Cincinnati (March 8). Entering the season, Eastern was 0-7 all-time against 'Power 4' foes.

FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
The game at Detroit Mercy will mark the first time Maddie Dugan will be back on the sidelines at Titan Field, albeit on a different bench. Dugan, who is in her second year with the Eagles, was the head coach for the 2024 season at UDM where she guided to the Titans to the championship game of the 2024 MAC Tournament. The 2024 MAC Coach of the Year, Dugan led the Titans to their first postseason appearance since 2019 and their first postseason win since 2016.

KNOW THE FOE: DETROIT MERCY
The Titans enter the week 0-6 overall and 0-1 in MAC play following their 24-2 loss at Akron last week. Detroit Mercy is 0-1 at home after dropping a 17-13 decision to Butler, Feb. 6, before embarking on five consecutive road contests. Overall, the Titans have allowed 122 goals with four foes scoring 20+. Eastern and UDM share four common non-conference opponents with the Eagles holding a 3-1 record against Butler, Canisius, Xavier, and Lindenwood. The Titans are led offensively by Alyssa Jarvis, who has 17 points on 10 goals and seven assists, while Emily Coyne has stated four of the team's six games in goal where she has made 26 saves and allowed 64 goals.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. TITANS
Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy are meeting for the fifth time with the Eagles holding a 3-1 lead in the series on the strength of three consecutive wins, including a 13-8 decision in Ypsilanti (April 6) last year. The series is tied, 1-1, when played at Titan Field with the Eagles squaring the series with their 12-9 win, April 7, 2024.

FIRST TO FOUR
Detroit Mercy is one of three teams the Eagles have defeated three times in program history with wins over Butler and Kent State earlier this year adding those teams to the list. A win in Detroit this week would mark the fourth against the Titans, marking the most wins against a single foe in program history.

LAST TIME • EMU VS. UDM
Eastern posted a 13-8 victory over Detroit Mercy in the most recent meeting (April 6, 2025) in Ypsilanti as the Eagles built a 13-3 lead after three quarters before a 5-0 fourth quarter for the visitors made the final score tighter. Mackenzie Blackwell scored five goals while Tracy Grollman added two goals and three assists to pace the offense as Emerson Henry collected 11 draw controls while posting three points on two goals and one assist. Defensively, Abby Alderman and Maddy Porter both caused three turnovers while Porter scooped seven ground balls to go along with 11 saves.

LAST TIME • EMU VISITED DETROIT MERCY
Eastern used a six-goal fourth quarter to escape Titan Field with a 12-9 win, April 7, 2024, and move to 3-0 in the MAC at the time. EMU, which led 3-2 after one quarter of play before the game was tied at halftime (4-4) and at the end of the third quarter (6-6), saw UDM tie the game at 9-9 with 7:58 to play before the Eagles went on a 3-0 run to win the game. Kelsea Dague led the way with four goals and two assists for six points while Mackenzie Blackwell scored three goals and collected 11 draw controls. Defensively, Maddy Porter recorded 10 saves and scooped 11 ground balls, which continues to rank as the most in a single game in program history to this day.

SWEET 16
Maddy Porter recorded 16 saves against Kent State, her second-highest total of the season behind the 21 she made at Vanderbilt (March 4) to etch her name in the record books once again. The 16 stops are the most in a MAC game for an Eastern goalkeeper while ranking as the fourth-highest total in all games played in EMU history. The 16 saves also tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in the NCAA this year with her 21 still tied for the top spot.

THE PORTER 400
With her 16 saves against Kent State (March 14), Maddy Porter brought her career total to 406, making her the first Eastern player to surpass 400 saves in a career. The only player to have reached 200 and 300 saves as well in program history, Porter brought her season total to 95, which leaves her five away from recording at least 100 saves in each of her first three seasons. She also is currently ranked second in the NCAA for total saves.

PORTER ON THE RISE
Maddy Porter is among the top goalkeepers nationally as she ranks in the top 50 in four categories, including standing second in total saves with 95. Porter also ranks seventh in ground balls per game (3.5), 10th in saves per game (9.5), and 42nd in save percentage (.450). The MAC leader in saves and ground balls, Porter ranks second in saves per game, third in save percentage, and is fifth (11.90) in goals-against average.

ON THE LIST • NCAA
March 4 was a day for goalkeeper saves as the top three NCAA Division I performances were recorded on the same day. Maddy Porter recorded 21 saves for Eastern at Vanderbilt while Isabella McCullough of Longwood tied for the single-game high after stopping 21 shots against Liberty. Haley Richards of Louisville recorded 19 saves in the Cardinals' game with Florida State to take the third spot, all of which surpassed the previous best of 18 saves that was recorded twice on Opening Day (Feb. 6). That day, Kimaari Mondy (Delaware State) and Sophia Pasnak (Manhattan) set the mark to beat for the season.

POINTING IT OUT
With five points on three goals and two assists, Mackenzie Blackwell made more program history against Kent State (March 14) as the senior brought her career point total to 200. The only player in EMU history to surpass 150 points, Blackwell secured her 200th point by assisting Amber Alderman's goal with 3:53 to play in the game with the Golden Flashes.

MORE THAN HATS
To reach her goals and points totals, Mackenzie Blackwell has scored goals in bunches for the Eagles throughout her career. Blackwell has played in all 59 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 88.1 percent of the games she has played with 79.7 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 52-of-59 games (.881 percent)
» 2+ goals: 47-of-59 games (.797)
» 3+ goals: 37-of-59 games (.627)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-59 games (.356)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-59 games (.153)

MORE THAN SCORING
While she continues to score, Mackenzie Blackwell has also been tracking back on defense and playing a tough ride as she has caused seven turnovers in the past two games, including a career-high four against Kent State (March 14). Blackwell entered the year with 19 total caused turnovers to her credit and has tallied nine this year, which has already tied her single-season high set her freshman season.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
Mackenzie Blackwell ranks among the national top 50 in four categories, including ranking 16th with 29 goals scored. She also is 24th in points (40), 33rd in shots per game (6.7), and 47th in goals per game (2.9). Along with leading the MAC in both goals and points, Blackwell ranks third in both goals per game and points per game (4.00) while sitting fourth in shots per game.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM RANKINGS
As a team, Eastern is among the top 50 in three statistical categories (through games played March 16), led by the team's 18.8 ground balls per game, which rank eighth nationally. The Eagles also rank 15th in caused turnovers per game at 11.0 and 34th in saves percentage at .456.

FEELING ACTIVE • NCAA CAREER LIST
Each year, the NCAA compiles a list of current players in each division and where they rank in statistical categories based upon their career totals with two Eagles highly ranked once again:
Mackenzie Blackwell
» 176 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 2.98 goals/game = 15th in NCAA Division I
» 200 points = 15th in NCAA Division I
» 3.39 points/game = 28th in NCAA Division I
» 4.22 draw controls/game = 18th in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 4.02 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 169 ground balls = 2nd in NCAA Division I
» 9.67 saves per game = 4th in NCAA Division I
» 406 saves = 7th in NCAA Division I
Tracy Grollman
» 56 assists = 41st in NCAA Division I

HAPPY HELPER
Tracy Grollman is the third Eagle that is ranked among the top 50 nationally as she appears on two assist lists. Grollman is currently ranked 19th in total assists (21) while ranking 38th in assists per game (2.1). She leads the MAC in both categories as well.

DOING THE DISHES
Tracy Grollman has rewritten the program's assist ledger as her four dimes against Kent State (March 14) moved her to the top spot of another list. Ahead of the game at Vanderbilt (March 4), Grollman was tied with Avery Schwab (2023-25) with 45 career assists with her two helpers that day breaking the tie. She added a single-game record five helpers against Cincinnati (March 8) to become the first Eastern player with 50+ assists in a career.

SEASON ASSISTS
With the four assists dished against Kent State (March 14), Tracy Grollman added the single-season record to her ledger as she brought her total to 21 in 2026. She surpassed the 19 tallied by Avery Schwab in 2024 and became the first Eagle to post 20+ helpers in a single season.

GROLLMAN HITS CENTURY MARK
Tracy Grollman recorded four points on two goals and two assists at Oregon (Feb. 22) to bring her career total to 100 points (now at 117), making her only the second player in program history to reach the century mark. Grollman, who recorded her seventh career game with multiple goals and multiple assists in the same contest, broke her season high for points with six on two goals and four assists against Kent State in the MAC opener (March 8).

OH HENRY!
Emerson Henry has found her scoring touch as she tallied 13 goals in the past five games, including a career-high five at Austin Peay (March 1) with two goals each scored at Oregon (Feb. 22), at Vanderbilt (March 4) and at home against Cincinnati (March 8) and Kent State (March 14). Her five goals, which surpassed the four she scored against Akron (April 20, 2025) at home, marked her fourth career hat trick and bettered her season high of two goals scored at Oregon. Her five goals, which tied for the eighth-most in a single game in EMU history, included two woman-up goals, which tied for the third-highest total in program history.

MILESTONE HUNTING • BLACKWELL
Mackenzie Blackwell is the program's career leader in nine categories, including goals (176), hat tricks (37), game-winning goals (six), free-position goals (28), woman-up goals (38), points (200), shots (376), shots on goal (276), and draw controls (249) through the game played with Cincinnati (March 8). The only player in program history to reach 100 and 150 goals and the first of two to reach 100 points, Blackwell is nearing another stellar milestone as she needs just one draw control win to reach 250.

MORE MILESTONES AHEAD
A handful of Eagles are approaching career milestones as well as several look to reach new heights in goals, points, and caused turnovers. Here is who is moving closer to higher marks:
» Goals: Abby Alderman has tallied 49 goals in her career and needs two more to become only the fourth player in EMU history to reach 50.
» Points: Two Eagles are approaching 50 career points with Katheryn Wilson at 47 and Kelsea Dague at 44. The duo currently ranks eighth and ninth, respectively, on the program's top 10 ledger.
» Caused Turnovers: Annika Wozney, who has started on defense in all 57 of EMU's games, has collected 42 caused turnovers, leaving her eight away from becoming just the second player to reach 50 and nine away from tying Sydney Lawrence (2023-24) for the record (51).

SHE CAN DIG IT
Maddy Porter achieved her second career milestone of the season during the victory at Oregon (Feb. 22) as the junior goalkeeper collected one ground ball to bring her career total to 150, making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone mark after becoming the first to reach 100 as well. Ranked first among all current NCAA Division I players for career ground balls per game average (4.2), Porter previously recorded her 350th career save in the game at Canisius (Feb. 18) and is now 10 away from reaching 400 after posting four against Cincinnati (March 8).

AHOY, CAPTAINS!
Five Eagles were selected as team captains for the 2026 season. The captains include Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsea Dague, Maddy Porter, and Annika Wozney.

ON THE HORIZON
A huge game awaits the Eagles next time out as Eastern will venture to Akron, Ohio, to face the University of Akron, April 11, in a 1 p.m. contest. The game features two of the three teams that shared the 2025 MAC regular season title and will be the first meeting between the two since the Zips scored 16-4 win in the semifinals of the 2025 MAC Tournament.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Alderman

Amber Alderman

Mackenzie Blackwell

Samantha Borgert

Kelsea Dague

Tracy Grollman

Emerson Henry

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Katheryn Wilson

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics