Lacrosse Hosts Chippewas Saturday Afternoon

GAME #13 \| vs. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Date	Saturday, April 4 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Scicluna Field \| Ypsilanti
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Live Statistics \| Watch (ESPN+)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

YPSILANTI (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team will look to bounce back from its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season this weekend as rival Central Michigan University comes to town for a 1 p.m. contest on Scicluna Field, Saturday, April 4. The Eagles (7-5, 2-1 MAC) dropped a tough 10-9 decision at the University of Akron last week (March 28) while the Chippewas (2-9, 1-2 MAC) snapped a three-game skid with their first MAC win of 2026 in a 14-7 home defeat of the University of Detroit Mercy. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Evan Stockton on the call.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 7-5 overall and 2-1 in MAC play following its close 10-9 loss at Akron (March 28).
» The game with Central Michigan (April 4) will mark the first of three consecutive home games for the Eagles, which also will be their final three home contests of 2026. Eastern will host league-leading UMass, April 11, before hosting Robert Morris, April 18, on Senior Day.
» The three consecutive home games will give Eastern a chance at history as the Eagles have not defeated either of the three opponents, although the game with UMass will mark the first between the two sides. Eastern is 0-4 all-time against both Central and Robert Morris.
» Maddy Porter was named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week (March 31), marking the fourth time this season she has earned the award and the seventh of her career. She stopped nine shots while scooping five ground balls and causing two turnovers on the road at Akron (March 28).
» Emma Reichert was the only Eagle to score multiple goals in the Akron game as she netted two in the 10-9 loss. The freshman has scored 10 goals in 2026 and done so by posting two goals in five different games.
» Tracy Grollman continued to find an open teammate as tallied four points on one goal and three assists at Akron (March 28). Grollman is the program's career (61) and single-season (26) leader in assists and leads the MAC in both assists and assists per game while ranking 22nd and 29th in the NCAA, respectively.
» Mackenzie Blackwell added one goal to her totals at Akron to push her team-leading total to 33. Blackwell, who has 180 career goals, which ranks seventh among all active NCAA Division I players, has scored at least one goal in 88.5 percent of her collegiate games (54-of-61). Blackwell recorded one draw control at Akron as well to reach another career milestone as she brought her career total to 250.
» The Eagles made history in their win at Detroit Mercy (March 19) 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.
» 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. A group of 14 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: EAGLES FALL AT AKRON
Eastern jumped out to a 5-1 first quarter lead at Akron but was unable to close the deal as the Eagles suffered a 10-9 loss to the Zips, March 28, marking the third time in five games against Akron the score ended in a one-goal decision. Emma Reichert scored two goals to lead an Eastern team that saw eight players score at least once while Tracy Grollman added four points on one goal and three assists for the offense. Defensively, Maddy Porter stopped nine shots and scooped five ground balls in the contest.

PORTER GRABS FOURTH
Maddy Porter was named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week, March 31, marking the fourth time this season she has earned the award and the seventh of her career. Porter finished the Akron game (March 28) with nine saves, five ground balls, and two caused turnovers. She recorded at least two caused turnovers for the fourth time this year while posting four or more ground balls in a game for the fourth time this season. Porter is averaging 3.85 ground balls per game to lead the MAC and rank seventh nationally while her 108 total saves are first in the conference and seventh nationally as well.

BEST START
With a 7-5 record, the 2026 Eagles are off to the best start in program history. The previous best 12-game record for the Eagles was 6-6 set by the 2024 team. Should the Eagles defeat Central Michigan, the team would post their eighth win in just 13 games, which would tie the 2025 team for the most wins in a single season in program history (8-9 last year) with four three season games to be played following the CMU game.

ONE FROM TYING A RECORD
The Eagles are 7-5 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 over Central Michigan would tie the record for single-season wins while two more wins this season would reset the mark.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Through 12 games played, the Eagles have held five teams to single-digit goals, 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 three MAC games this year with the defense standing tall in each as the Eagles have held its two opponents to 20 goals total after defeating Kent State, 12-6, Detroit Mercy, 17-4, and falling at Akron, 10-9. 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.

TOUGH TO CLOSE OUT
The Eagles have won seven games in 2026 and trailed in five 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 five consecutive 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.

KNOW THE FOE: CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Chippewas come to town with a record of 2-9 overall and stand 1-3 in MAC play after defeating visiting Detroit Mercy, 14-7, March 28 to snap a three-game losing streak. Central, who is 1-8 on the road this year, lost its last away contest, 22-1, at UMass (March 19). The Chippewas have not shied away from tough competition as they played three road games against 'Power 4' foes in No. 2 Northwestern (L, 25-2), No. 8 Michigan (L, 23-3), and No. 25 Notre Dame (L, 25-0). EMU and CMU share a quartet of non-conference opponents with the Chippewas defeating Butler (13-9) and falling to Lindenwood (19-13), Cincinnati (16-4), and Marquette (19-6). Eastern was 2-2 against those teams with wins over Butler and Lindenwood.

Individually, Caye Kalbacher leads the Chippewas with 20 points on 13 goals and seven assists while Anna Farrar paces the team with 14 goals and Mia Bradley sets the table with nine assists. Defensively, Leila Kahler has started all 11 games in goal where she has made 87 saves and allowed 157 goals while Abby Schroer has seen action in four contests where she has made 16 saves while allowing 29 goals. Ava Regitz is averaging 2.91 draw controls per game to rank tied for ninth in the MAC while her 32 draws are tied for seventh.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. CHIPPEWAS
Eastern is in search of its first win in the series with Central Michigan as the Chippewas have won all four of the previous meetings, including a tough 10-9 decision in Mount Pleasant last year (March 30, 2025). Eastern is 0-2 when hosting Central after dropping a 16-7 decision the last time the teams met in Ypsilanti (April 14, 2024).

LAST TIME • CMU COMES BACK TO DOWN EMU
Eastern nearly secured its first victory over Central when the teams last met, March 30, 2025, in Mount Pleasant as the Eagles built a 5-4 halftime lead and extended it to an 8-5 advantage through three before the host Chippewas used a 5-1 fourth quarter to take the game, 10-9. Mackenzie Blackwell scored four goals while Tracy Grollman added two in the game.

LAST TIME • EMU HOSTED CMU
Eastern and Central last played in Ypsilanti April 14, 2024, with the visiting Chippewas taking a 16-7 win. CMU jumped out to a 4-1 first quarter lead before six goals in the second gave it a 10-3 halftime advantage on its way to the win as EMU scored just four times in the second half. Kelsea Dague led the offense as she scored four goals for the second consecutive game to tie her career high while Kyleigh Dill, Abby Alderman, and Amber Alderman each added one.

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.

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 to 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 has tallied a MAC-leading 108 saves this season, marking her third consecutive season with 100+ saves while ranking her seventh nationally in total saves in 2026.

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 (108) and ground balls per game (3.58). Porter also ranks 18th in saves per game (9.00) and 25th in save percentage (.462). The MAC leader in both saves and ground balls, Porter is second in saves per game, third in save percentage, and fourth in goals against average (11.02).

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. Through games played April 1, Porter's 21 saves remain tied for the single game lead this year while her 16 stops against Kent State (March 14) rank 12th.

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 Akron game (March 28), she has tallied 205 career points on 180 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 all 61 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 88.5 percent of the games she has played with 78.7 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 54-of-61 games (.885 percent)
» 2+ goals: 48-of-61 games (.787)
» 3+ goals: 38-of-61 games (.623)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-61 games (.344)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-61 games (.148)

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 four 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 two categories this week as she sits 39th in goals scored (33) and 40th in shots per game (6.25). On a conference level, she is ranked in the top six in five categories, including third in goals, goals per game (2.75), and points (45), while ranking fourth in shots per game and sixth in points per game (3.75).

MILESTONE REACHED • BLACKWELL
Mackenzie Blackwell is the program's career leader in nine categories, including goals (180), hat tricks (38), game-winning goals (six), free-position goals (28), woman-up goals (39), points (205), shots (384), shots on goal (281), and draw controls (250) through the game played at Akron (March 28). The only player in program history to reach 100 and 150 goals and the first of two to reach 100 points, Blackwell recorded one draw control at Akron to reach 250. She is closing in on another milestone as she needs one more goal scored on the woman-up advantage to reach 40.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM RANKINGS
As a team, Eastern is among the top 50 in five statistical categories (through games played April 1), led by the team's 18.58 ground balls per game, which rank 10th. The Eagles also rank 24th in caused turnovers per game (10.22), 27th in saves percentage (.461), 43rd in fewest fouls committed per game (6.0), and 49th in assists per game (5.92).

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
» 180 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 2.95 goals/game = 15th in NCAA Division I
» 205 points = 17th in NCAA Division I
» 3.36 points/game = 36th in NCAA Division I
» 4.10 draw controls/game = 22nd in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 4.02 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 177 ground balls = 2nd in NCAA Division I
» 9.53 saves per game = 4th in NCAA Division I
» 419 saves = 8th in NCAA Division I
Tracy Grollman
» 1.09 assists per game = 36th in NCAA Division I
» 61 assists = 38th 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 22nd in total assists (26) while ranking 29th in assists per game (2.17). She leads the MAC in both categories as well and is ninth in the conference in points per game (3.17).

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 three helpers at Akron (March 28), Grollman has tallied 61 career assists to become the only Eagle 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 currently has 26 assists following her trio of helpers at Akron (March 28).

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 125), 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 17 goals in the past seven 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), 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.

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 47, leaving her three away from 50.
» Caused Turnovers: Annika Wozney, who has started on defense in all 61 of EMU's games, has collected 45 caused turnovers, leaving her five 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. She is currently ranked first among all current NCAA Division I players for career ground balls per game (4.2).

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
Eastern will welcome Mid-American Conference leader University of Massachusetts to Scicluna Field, April 11, for a 12 p.m. contest that 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 and EMU_Lacrosse on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Alderman

Amber Alderman

Mackenzie Blackwell

Samantha Borgert

Kelsea Dague

Kyleigh Dill

Christie Evans

Mak Grisinger

Tracy Grollman

Emerson Henry

Erin Humphrey

Kendall Nagle

Alex Paterson

Maddy Porter

Emma Reichert

Reagan Riemer

Avery Schwab

Brooke Sganga

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics