MAC Showdown Awaits Eastern at Akron

GAME #12 \| at AKRON
Date	Saturday, March 28 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	InfoCision Stadium \| Akron, Ohio
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Live Statistics \| Watch (GoZips.com)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – A pivotal Mid-American Conference road game awaits the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team this week as the Eagles will venture to face the Zips of the University of Akron Saturday, March 28, in a 1 p.m. game inside InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio. The Eagles (7-4, 2-0 MAC) and Zips (7-3, 2-0 MAC) are two of the three teams with perfect 2-0 marks in the MAC and are two of the three teams that shared the MAC regular season title one year ago.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 7-4 overall and 2-0 in MAC play after scoring a 17-4 victory at Detroit Mercy, March 19, in Detroit. The Eagles will look to win back-to-back MAC road games in the same season for the first time since the 2024 campaign when they won all three road games, including wins at Akron, Detroit Mercy, and Youngstown State.
» The Eagles made history in their win at Detroit Mercy as they posted their highest margin of victory (13), shutout an opponent over one half of play, scored 14 consecutive goals to open the game, and won four games against the same team.
» Emerson Henry recorded a career-high five points on three goals and two assists while adding a game-high six draw controls at Detroit Mercy. Henry has now scored at least two goals in six consecutive games while recording her second hat trick of the season and the fifth of her career. She also added two assists for the second time in 2026 after dishing two against Lindenwood (Feb. 11).
» Reagan Riemer and Alex Paterson recorded their first collegiate goals at Detroit Mercy as the duo scored goals in the fourth quarter of the 17-4 win. The goal for Paterson was her first collegiate point while Riemer added an assist in the game for her first multiple-point contest.
» Kelsea Dague scored once at Detroit Mercy to record what would stand as the game-winning strike for the Eagles. It marked her third game-winner of the season after she recorded the winning goal at home against Xavier (Feb. 14) and on the road at Oregon (Feb. 22). She has scored four career game-winning goals, which ranks second in program history behind Mackenzie Blackwell, who has recorded six.
» Mackenzie Blackwell added to her hat trick totals as she finished the Detroit Mercy game with three goals and one assist for four points. The hat trick is her eighth of the season and the 38th of her career. With 32 goals this season, she now holds the top four single-season scoring marks (59 in 2025, 49 in 2024, and 39 in 2023).
» Tracy Grollman continued to dish assists as she finished the game at Detroit Mercy with four points on two goals and two assists. The program's career (58) and single-season (23) leader in assists, Grollman has now finished a game with at least two scores and two helpers three times this year and done so in back-to-back games after finishing with two goals and four assists against Kent State (March 14). Her first instance came at Oregon (Feb. 22) with two of each.
» 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, Kelsea 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: EASTERN TAMES TITANS
Ten players scored at least one goal with five recording multiple scores as the Eagles jumped out to leads of 5-0 after one, 9-0 at halftime, and 14-0 late into the third quarter as Eastern scored a 17-4 MAC win at Detroit Mercy, March 19, to move to 2-0 in MAC play and 7-4 overall. The defense stood tall and shutout the Titans through the first half to mark the first time in program history the Eagles blanked a team in one half of play while the offense rolled with Mackenzie Blackwell and Emerson Henry each scoring three goals and the trio of Tracy Grollman, Emma Reichert, and Katheryn Wilson added two goals to keep EMU on top of the MAC standings. Maddy Porter played the first 41 minutes of the contest and saved all four shots she faced while keeping the Titans off the scoreboard as the defense forced 16 turnovers in the game.

BEST START
With a 7-4 record, the 2026 Eagles are off to the best start in program history. The previous best 11-game record for the Eagles was 6-5 set by the 2024 team. Should the Eagles win at Akron, the team would post their eighth win in just 12 games, which would tie the 2025 team for the most wins in a single season in program history (8-9 last year) with four regular season games to be played following the contest with the Zips.

ONE FROM TYING A RECORD
The Eagles are 7-4 this year with the seven wins tying for the second-highest total for a single season in program history with the 2024 squad and one off the record of eight recorded last year in the 17-game season. A win at Akron would tie the record for single-season wins while two more wins this season would reset the mark.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Through 11 games played, the Eagles have held five teams to single-digit goal totals, including the six allowed to Kent State (March 14) in the MAC opener and four to Detroit Mercy (March 19). The five single-digit games ties for the most recorded in one season, equaling the total recorded in 2025.

LESS IS MORE
Eastern has played two MAC games this year with both seeing the defense stand tall as the Eagles have held its two opponents to 10 goals total after defeating Kent State, 12-6, and Detroit Mercy, 17-4. The goal totals were historic as the four allowed to UDM tied for the fewest in any game EMU has played and the fewest against a MAC opponent while the six scored by KSU tied for the fourth fewest overall and tied for the fewest allowed in a MAC home game.

YOU'LL HAVE TO COME BACK LATER
To produce the record-low goal totals, the defense made sure the opposing offense did not get off to a fast start as Eastern has permitted just one goal in the opening half of play in its first two games with that goal coming in the second quarter to Kent State. In the game against the Golden Flashes (March 14), Eastern held the visitors to one goal in the first half, which, at the time, tied for the fewest allowed in the opening half in any game played as well as the first half of any game. The record was broken five days later at Detroit Mercy (March 19) when the Eagles shut out the Titans.

LARGE MARGIN
A 14-goal run to open the game at Detroit Mercy (March 19) and strong defensive play helped EMU capture a 17-4 win to tie or break the record for largest margin of victory in program history. The 13-goal margin tied for the largest in any game played with the 19-6 home win over Youngstown State, March 23, 2025, which also tied for the largest margin in a MAC game for EMU. The record was broken in margin of victory for a road game as Eastern surpassed the 12-goal margin at Delaware State (18-6), Feb. 28, 2024, and the seven-goal margin recorded twice in a MAC road game (15-8 at Kent State, April 13, 2025, and 18-11 at YSU, April 21, 2024.

GO FOR A RUN
Eastern opened its game at Detroit Mercy (March 19) on a 14-goal run as the Titans didn't score until 2:54 remained on the clock in the third quarter. It marked the longest consecutive goal scoring streak in program history by five goals as the previous mark was nine, set Feb. 25, 2024, at Howard, before being equaled March 15, 2024, at home against Butler. In both cases, EMU opened the game on a 9-0 run before the Bison (5:32) and Bulldogs (0:34) scored their first goal of the game late in the second quarter.

TOUGH TO CLOSE OUT
The Eagles have won seven games in 2026 and trailed in four of those contests with only three wire-to-wire wins as the only outliers. Starting with the win over Lindenwood (Feb. 11), Eastern had 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.

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.

KNOW THE FOE: AKRON
The Zips enter the week with a 7-3 record and are 2-0 in MAC play following their 10-6 rivalry win at Kent State, March 18, after defeating Detroit Mercy at home, 24-2. Akron, who lost its most recent game, 14-13, at home to visiting San Diego State (March 22), is 4-2 at home in 2026 and shares four common non-conference opponents this season with both teams defeating Lindenwood, Butler, and Xavier, and falling to Canisius. Individually, Sienna Hinchcliffe leads the team with 57 points on 41 goals and 16 assists while Katie Baumer has tallied 26 goals and 13 assists for 39 points and 34 draw controls. Defensively, Adrianna Califano has started and played every second of the Zips' 10 games where she has made 65 saves and allowed 89 goals.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. ZIPS
Eastern and Akron are meeting for the fifth time overall and the fourth time in the regular season with the series tied at 2-2. The Zips scored a 16-4 win in the semifinals of the 2025 MAC Tournament at Robert Morris (May 1, 2025) to snap the Eagles' two-game winning streak that saw EMU grab a 16-12 home win over UA, April 20, 2025. Eastern is 1-0 when playing at Akron after claiming a slim 11-10 victory, March 24, 2024, in the only other visit to the home of the Zips.

LAST TIME • MAC SEMIFINALS
Eastern and Akron last met in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament, May 1, 2025, in Moon Township, Pa., where the No. 3-seed Zips claimed a 16-4 win over the No. 2-seed Eagles. Emerson Henry and Katheryn Wilson both scored two goals for the Eagles.

LAST TIME • EMU VISITED AKRON
Eastern built an 11-7 lead with five minutes to play before having to hang on and eventually claim an 11-10 win at Akron, March 24, 2024, marking the first time the Eagles defeated the ZIps in program history. Mackenzie Blackwell led the way with four goals while Amber Alderman, Kelsea Dague, and Avery Schwab each added two scores in the win. Maddy Porter earned the win in goal as she saved 10 shots while collecting four ground balls for the Eagles.

ADDED TO THE LIST
Two more Eagles recorded career firsts in the game at Detroit Mercy (March 19) as Alex Paterson scored her first goal and tallied her first collegiate point while Reagan Riemer scored her first career goal while adding an assist for her first multiple point game. Riemer previously added her name to the list after she recorded an assist in the game with Lindenwood (Feb. 11). In the game at Austin Peay (March 1), Brooke Sganga assisted on Christie Evans' goal with 2:28 to play for their first goal and assist, respectively. Emma Reichert also was added the list in the Lindenwood game with two goals scored and joined Mak Grisinger, who scored her first goal when she tallied two at Marquette (Feb. 6) in the opener, while Erin Humphrey and Kendall Nagle each recorded their first career assists at Marquette and Butler, respectively.

SWEET 16
Maddy Porter recorded 16 saves against Kent State (March 14), 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 seventh in both saves (99) and ground balls per game (3.45). Porter also ranks 18th in saves per game (9.00) and 31st in save percentage (.460), She also leads the MAC in ground balls while ranking second in saves and saves per game, ranks third in save percentage, and fifth in goals against average (11.12).

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. Through the Detroit Mercy game (March 19), she has tallied 204 career points on 179 goals and 25 assists.

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 60 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 88.13 percent of the games she has played with 80.0 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 53-of-60 games (.883 percent)
» 2+ goals: 48-of-60 games (.800)
» 3+ goals: 38-of-60 games (.633)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-60 games (.350)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-60 games (.150)

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 nine turnovers in the past three 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 11 this year, which has already bettered her single-season high set her freshman season.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
Mackenzie Blackwell ranks among the national top 50 in four categories, including 24th in goals scored (32), 29th in shots per game (6.64), 34th in points (44), and 35th in goals per game (2.91). She also ranks among the top four in five categories in the MAC as she ranked third in goals per game, goals scored, points per game (4.00), and points while ranking fourth in shots per game as well.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM RANKINGS
As a team, Eastern is among the top 50 in five statistical categories (through games played March 24), led by the team's 18.91 ground balls per game, which rank eighth nationally. The Eagles also rank 22nd in caused turnovers per game (10.55), 27th in saves percentage (.460), and 47th in both assists per game (5.82) and fewest fouls committed per game (6.00).

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
» 179 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 2.98 goals/game = 16th in NCAA Division I
» 204 points = 17th in NCAA Division I
» 3.40 points/game = 29th in NCAA Division I
» 4.15 draw controls/game = 20th in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 4.00 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 172 ground balls = 2nd in NCAA Division I
» 9.53 saves per game = 4th in NCAA Division I
» 410 saves = 8th in NCAA Division I
Tracy Grollman
» 58 assists = 42nd 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 20th in total assists (23) while ranking 35th in assists per game (2.09). She leads the MAC in both categories as well and is ninth in the conference in points per game (3.09).

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. With 58 career assists, Grollman is two away from becoming the first to reach 60 as well.

SEASON ASSISTS
With the two assists dished against Detroit Mercy (March 19), Tracy Grollman added to her single-season record as she brought her total to 23 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 16 goals in the past six 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) and her fifth career hat trick with three at Detroit Mercy. 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 (179), hat tricks (38), game-winning goals (six), free-position goals (28), woman-up goals (39), points (204), shots (376), shots on goal (276), and draw controls (249) through the game played at Detroit Mercy (March 19). 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 while she also is one woman-up goal from 40 with the second-highest total recorded in program history belonging to Tracy Grollman with 10.

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 while Emerson Henry has scored 46, leaving her four away from 50.
» Caused Turnovers: Annika Wozney, who has started on defense in all 57 of EMU's games, has collected 44 caused turnovers, leaving her six 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
The first three consecutive home Mid-American Conference games await Eastern next week as the Eagles will welcome the Chippewas of Central Michigan University to town Saturday, April 4. The Mitten State meeting will be played at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti and streamed on ESPN+ with the opening draw slated for 1 p.m.

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

Christie Evans

Mak Grisinger

Tracy Grollman

Emerson Henry

Erin Humphrey

Kendall Nagle

Alex Paterson

Maddy Porter

Emma Reichert

Reagan Riemer

Avery Schwab

Brooke Sganga

Katheryn Wilson

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics