Lacrosse Hosts Cincinnati Sunday Afternoon

GAME #9 \| vs CINCINNATI
Date	Sunday, March 8 \| 12 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Live Statistics \| Watch (ESPN+)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – With a four-game road trip that took the team to New York, Oregon, and Tennessee in its rearview, the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team returns to action at home this weekend as the Eagles will welcome the University of Cincinnati to town for a 12 p.m. contest on Scicluna Field. The game between the Eagles (5-3) and Bearcats (5-3), which marks the final non-conference game of the year for Eastern, will stream live on ESPN+ with Ben Holden (play-by-play) and Lindsey Chase (analyst) on the call.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 5-3 overall and coming off an 11-8 loss at Vanderbilt (March 4) that snapped a two-game winning streak. The Eagles are back home for the first time since Feb. 14 when they defeated Xavier, 9-7, and moved to 3-0 at home.
» The win over Xavier (Feb. 14) extended EMU's home winning streak to three games and tied the program record set twice before. The first instance came with the final game of 2023 and the first two home contests of 2024 with the second consisting of three consecutive wins in 2025. A win over Cincinnati would break the record and give the Eagles a sweep of the Queen City as well.
» The game with Cincinnati will be the final non-conference game of the year for the Eagles. The five wins earned are the most in a single season for non-conference play in program history, surpassing the four won in 2025, while the three wins at home equals the number of non-conference home wins Eastern had entering the year after securing one in each of its first three seasons.
» The game with Vanderbilt marked the first time Eastern fell in 2026 when playing a foe for the first time in program history. The Eagles were 2-0 after winning at home over Lindenwood (Feb. 11), 14-11, and at Austin Peay (March 1), 13-10. EMU will have one more newcomer on its schedule later this year when the newest member of the MAC, UMass, comes to town, April 11.
» 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).
» Mackenzie Blackwell added her fifth hat trick of the season at Vanderbilt, March 4, as she netted three goals against the Commodores. Blackwell has tallied 23 goals and added a career-high nine assists for 32 points, ranking her 13th nationally in both goals and points in 2026.
» Eastern has been a team of two halves this year as the defense has allowed 59 goals in the first two quarters of play and only 36 total in the final two stanzas. The Eagles have held foes to four or fewer second half goals in 5-of-8 games with the exceptions coming against Lindenwood (six goals) and at Canisius (nine).
» 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.

GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!
The game with Cincinnati will be played outside on Scicluna Field, marking the Eagles' first outdoor home game of the season. Eastern is 3-0 in its first home outdoor contest of the season after posting wins of 12-7 over Delaware State (March 7, 2023), 15-8 over Butler (March 15, 2024), and 19-6 over Youngstown State (March 23, 2025) previously.

QUICK RECAP: EASTERN FALLS AT VANDERBILT
Eastern Michigan dropped an 11-8 decision at Vanderbilt, March 4, despite a 21-save performance in goal from Maddy Porter, which broke her own school record and tied for the most recorded in a single game in the NCAA this season. Along with her strong defensive performance, the Eagles saw offensive contributions from Mackenzie Blackwell, who netted three goals for her fifth hat trick of the year and the 35th of her career, while Emerson Henry and Emma Reichert both scored twice. Tracy Grollman dished two assists to bring her career total to 47 and break the tie for the top spot on the program's all-time assists ledger she shared with Avery Schwab (2023-25).

KNOW THE FOE: CINCINNATI
The Bearcats are 5-3 in 2026 with a 3-2 record away from home and will have played three MAC teams before coming to Ypsilanti as Cincinnati has defeated Central Michigan, 14-6, at home (Feb. 20), Robert Morris, 9-3, on the road (Feb. 22), and will play at Kent State, March 6, before playing the Eagles. Cincinnati is coming off a 9-6 home win over Mount St. Marys (March 1) and will be looking to rebound from its most recent road contest, a 22-10 loss at Vanderbilt (Feb. 27). Offensively, the Bearcats are led by Paige Selhorn, who has tallied an NCAA-leading 50 points on 26 goals and 24 assists, which rank third and second, respectively, on the national lists. Bella Kerr has seen most of the action in goal, making 41 saves and allowing 57 goals.

FIREWORKS EXPECTED?
Eastern and Cincinnati each feature one player that is currently ranked among the top offensive threats nationally according to the March 5 NCAA statistics update. EMU's Mackenzie Blackwell and UC's Paige Selhorn are leading their respective teams in goals and points while also ranking in the top 15 nationally as Blackwell is 13th in both goals (23) and points (32) while Selhorn is fourth (26) and first (50), respectively. Additionally, the duo accounts for over one quarter of their teams' scoring as Selhorn has tallied 27.7 percent of the Bearcats' goals (26-of-94) while Blackwell has scored 25.8 percent (23-of-89) for the Eagles.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. BEARCATS
Cincinnati holds a 1-0 lead in the series after taking a 13-9 win last year (March 9) inside its home venue, Nippert Stadium.

LAST TIME • EMU AT CINCY
The Eagles and Bearcats met in Cincinnati on March 9, 2025, with Cincinnati claiming a 13-9 win. The hosts jumped out to a 5-1 lead after one and carried a 9-2 lead into halftime. Eastern closed the gap to 10-5 following the third and scored four in the fourth while UC added three to bring about the final score. Mackenzie Blackwell led the way with three goals while Tracy Grollman added two and one each was scored by Abby Alderman, Amber Alderman, Emerson Henry, and Katheryn Wilson, all of whom return this season. Maddy Porter posted 11 saves in the loss while adding one ground ball.

TAKING ON • BIG 12
The game with Cincinnati will mark the third time the Eagles have faced a member of the Big 12 with the previous two games played last year. The first came at home in the season opener, Feb. 9, with the visiting San Diego State Aztecs taking a 15-10 win. EMU traveled to take on Cincinnati, March 9, and fell, 13-9.

POWER OUTAGE
The 2026 season features a trio of games against 'Power 4' foes with the Eagles' game with Cincinnati marking the third on the schedule. On Feb. 22, Eastern traveled to Eugene, Ore., and snagged a 12-9 win over the Oregon Ducks, marking the first 'Power 4' win in program history and snapping a seven-game slide in such games. Prior to the game, Eastern had previously faced members of the Big Ten in Michigan (0-3) and Oregon (1-1), Notre Dame (0-2) of the ACC, and Cincinnati (0-1) of the Big 12. Eastern will entertain Cincinnati Sunday, which will provide it another chance to 'Fly the Flag' (the MAC's designation for defeating a 'Power 4' team in any sport utilizing a black flag featuring the MAC shield over crossbones).

BEST START
Despite the loss at Vanderbilt (March 4), Eastern is still off to its best start in program history at 5-3, surpassing the 2024 and 2025 teams that had four wins through eight games. A win against Cincinnati would continue the best start as the 2024 and 2025 teams both won their fifth in the ninth contest of the season.

TOUGH TO CLOSE OUT
The Eagles have won five games in 2026 and trailed in four of those contests with only a wire-to-wire home win over Butler (Feb. 8) the outlier. 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 its past 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.

STOP RIGHT THERE!
For the second time in her career, Maddy Porter finished a game with 20+ saves as the junior goalkeeper halted 21 Vanderbilt shots (March 4) to break her own program record of 20 saves she recorded March 17, 2024, at Marquette. Porter, who has tallied 386 career saves, owns the top eight spots on the program's single-game saves ledger as she has stopped at least 13 shots in those contests. She also has made it three consecutive seasons with recording at least 18 saves in a single game after stopping 18 against San Diego State at home, Feb. 9, 2025.

BUSY FIRST HALF
To reach her single-game record of 21 saves at Vanderbilt (March 4), Maddy Porter turned away 13 Commodore shots in the first half of play, a total that would be tied for the seventh-highest game total in program history on its own. The 13 first-half saves broke Porter's previous record of 12 saves she recorded against San Diego State (Feb. 9, 2025) on her way to an 18-save performance. The 13 saves also marked her fourth half of play with double-digit stops after she recorded 10 saves in both halves of the game at Marquette, March 17, 2024, on her way to the then-record of 20 saves in a game.

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.

NEAR THE TOP OF THE (COLLEGIATE) WORLD
Following games played March 4, Mackenzie Blackwell continues to rank among the best nationally as she holds three rankings among the top 50, including standing 13th in NCAA Division I with 23 goals. She also ranks 13th in points with 32 while sitting 41st in shots per game with 6.50. On a conference level, Blackwell has her name listed in the top 10 of seven categories, including first in points (32), second in goals (23), third in goals per game (2.88), fourth in points per game (4.0), fifth in shots per game (6.5), eighth in draw controls (2.63), and ninth in assists per game (1.13).

PORTER ON THE RISE
Maddy Porter is among the top goalkeepers nationally as she ranks in the top 50 in four categories, including second in saves (75). She also stands 20th in saves per game (9.38), 29th in ground balls (2.88), and 44th in save percentage (.444). On a conference level, she leads the way in saves while ranking second in saves per game, third in both save percentage and ground balls, and sixth in goals-against average (12.13).

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
» 170 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 2.98 goals/game = 16th in NCAA Division I
» 192 points = 13th in NCAA Division I
» 3.37 points/game = 27th in NCAA Division I
» 4.37 draw controls/game = 15th in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 3.93 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 157 ground balls = 3rd in NCAA Division I
» 9.65 saves per game = 3rd in NCAA Division I
» 386 saves = 8th in NCAA Division I

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 57 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 87.7 percent of the games she has played with 78.9 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 50-of-57 games (.877 percent)
» 2+ goals: 45-of-57 games (.789)
» 3+ goals: 35-of-57 games (.614)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-57 games (.368)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-57 games (.158)

HAPPIEST OF HELPERS
In the past two games, Tracy Grollman has tied and then overtaken the top spot on the program's career assist ledger as the senior brought her total to 47 assists following five helpers in the past two games. Grollman opened the week with three assists at Austin Peay (March 1) to tie the all-time mark of 45 set by Avery Schwab (2023-25) before adding two more helpers at Vanderbilt (March 4). Grollman has recorded 12 assists this year, which leads the MAC and ranks 41st nationally. She is seven helpers away from tying Schwab for the single-season record of 19 set in 2024.

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 106), making her only the second player in program history to reach the century mark. Grollman, who recorded her sixth career game with multiple goals and multiple assists in the same contest, tied her season-high in points she set at Marquette in the opener (Feb. 6).

OH HENRY!
Emerson Henry has found her scoring touch as she tallied nine goals in the past three games, including a career-high five at Austin Peay (March 1) with two goals each scored at Oregon (Feb. 22) and Vanderbilt (March 4). 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 one game prior. 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.

MORE ON THE LIST
Emerson Henry also ranks among the top 10 in the MAC as her 3.75 draw controls per contest rank fourth. She tallied eight in the game at Austin Peay, which was one shy of her season-high nine recorded Butler (Feb. 8). All told, Henry has posted eight or more draw controls in a single game eight times in her career.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM RANKINGS
As a team, Eastern is among the top 50 in three statistical categories (through games played March 4), led by the team's 17.0 ground balls per game, which rank 29th nationally. The Eagles also rank 35th in caused turnovers per game (9.38) and 38th in saves percentage (.451).

MILESTONE HUNTING • BLACKWELL
Mackenzie Blackwell is the program's career leader in nine categories, including goals (170), hat tricks (35), game-winning goals (six), free-position goals (27), woman-up goals (37), points (192), shots (361), shots on goal (263), and draw controls (249) through the game played at Vanderbilt (March 4). 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. Additionally, she is chasing 200 career points as she needs just eight more.

MORE MILESTONES AHEAD
A handful of Eagle 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 48 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 43. 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 55 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 (3.9), Porter previously recorded her 350th career save in the game at Canisius (Feb. 18) and is now 14 away from reaching 400 after posting 21 at Vanderbilt (March 4).

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
With its non-conference schedule complete, Eastern will turn its focus to league action when the play host to Kent State University, March 14, at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti for both teams' Mid-American Conference opener. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. opening draw and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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

Emma Reichert

Avery Schwab

Katheryn Wilson

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics