Lacrosse Hosts MAC-Leading UMass Saturday

GAME #14 \| vs. UMASS
Date	Saturday, April 11 \| 12 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) – After tying its single season record for wins, the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team will look to add to the mark this weekend as the Eagles will welcome the University of Massachusetts to Scicluna Field, April 11, for a 12 p.m. Mid-American Conference contest live on ESPN+. The Eagles (8-5, 3-1 MAC) will look to secure their record-breaking ninth win of the season while snapping the seven-game winning streak the Minutewomen (11-2, 4-0 MAC) bring to Ypsilanti with an Eastern win putting the hosts into a tie atop the MAC standings with two weeks to play.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 8-5 overall and 3-1 in MAC play following its 14-9 home win over Central Michigan (April 4), the first in the five-game series with the Chippewas.
» The win tied the program record for wins with the 2025 squad that finished 8-9 overall. Additionally, the win stands as the fifth of the year at home, which broke the single-season record of four (4-3) recorded last year.
» The 14-9 win over Central Michigan marked the sixth time in 2026 Eastern held an opponent to single-digit goals and the fourth time at home. The six victories are a single-season record, surpassing the five from 2025. Eastern is 15-1 all-time when holding an opponent to nine or fewer goals and has won the last 12 such games.
» EMU has won five games after trailing at some point, including twice when trailing in the fourth quarter, with the most recent coming in the Central Michigan game as the Eagles went on a 10-3 scoring run over the final 35:52 of the game to win after trailing, 6-4, with 5:52 remaining in the second quarter. The other wins have come against Lindenwood, Xavier, Oregon, and Austin Peay.
» Eastern has held an opponent to four or fewer goals in one half of play 11 times this year (26 halves), including seven in the second half and four in the first half. Additionally, five of those halves (8 halves played) have come in MAC games with at least one half in each of the four games played this year.
» The game with UMass will mark the fourth time in 2026 Eastern will have played an opponent for the first time in the program's four-year history. The Eagles are 2-1 in those games, including wins over Lindenwood (14-11) and Austin Peay (13-10) and a loss at Vanderbilt (11-8).
» Emerson Henry was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week (April 7) after tallying a career-high seven points on four goals and three assists. Henry, who earned her first career weekly award from the MAC, recorded the team's first 'double hat trick' of the year with 3+ goals and 3+ assists in the same contest as she led the Eagles to a 14-9 win over Central Michigan.
» 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).
» 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: EASTERN DOWNS CENTRAL
Eastern battled back from an early deficit to grab a one-goal halftime lead and the defense did the rest as the Eagles scored a 14-9 home win over rival Central Michigan, April 4, to mark the first win in five games against the Chippewas. Emerson Henry tallied seven points on four goals and three assists to record her first career 'double hat trick' while Tracy Grollman nearly joined her with three goals and two assists for five points in the victory. Defensively, Eastern held CMU to just three goals in the second half, including only one in the fourth quarter, with Maddy Porter making 11 saves to grab the win in goal.

HENRY HONORED
Emerson Henry was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week after she stuffed the stat sheet for the Eagles as her seven points on four goals and three assists led Eastern to a win over CMU for the first time in program history. Henry tallied her first career 'double hat trick', the first of the season for the team, and only the fourth in program history. It also marked her third hat trick of the season and her sixth of her career. Henry reached the 50-goal milestone in the win as she now has 51 in her two seasons with the Eagles and has now scored at least one goal in eight consecutive games this year with her four goals against the Chippewas tying for the 10th-highest single-game total against a MAC opponent. Additionally, she posted a career high in assists with three, surpassing the two she recorded three times prior, most recently at Detroit Mercy (March 19).

AWARDS SEASON
The weekly honor earned by Emerson Henry was the first of the season and the second offensive award earned by the Eagles as she joined Kelsea Dague, on the list after she earned the honor Feb. 17. Henry's award is the ninth of the year for the program as she and Dague were joined by Karly Low, who was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 17, and Maddy Porter, who has been named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week four times (Feb. 17, March 12, March 17, and March 31).

HONORS HISTORY
Emerson Henry earned the 11th MAC Offensive Player of the Week honor in program history and became the sixth different Eagle to garner the award, joining Mackenzie Blackwell (five times), Tracy Grollman (twice), Kelsea Dague, Sydney Lawrence, and Katheryn Wilson on the list. It also marked the 24th weekly award earned by an Eastern player as the six defensive and seven goalkeeper awards have been handed out to Eagles since the start of the 2023 season.

BEST START
With an 8-5 record, the 2026 Eagles have tied the single-season mark for wins in a season, matching the output of the 2025 team that finished 8-9 overall. The Eagles have three more regular season games and possibly more in the postseason to break the tie and establish a new benchmark to be chased.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Through 13 games played, the Eagles have held six teams to single-digit goal totals, including the 14-9 home victory over Central Michigan (April 4), with four coming at home. The six victories are a single-season record, surpassing the five from 2025. Eastern is 15-1 all-time when holding an opponent to nine or fewer goals and has won the last 12 such games.

LESS IS MORE
Eastern has played four MAC games this year with the defense standing tall in each as the Eagles have held its four opponents to 29 goals (7.25 per game). 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.

MAYBE NEXT HALF
Eastern has played 13 games this season, which amounts to 26 halves of play. Of the 26 halves, the Eastern defense has held an opponent to four or fewer goals 11 times, including seven times in the second half. The Eagles have played four MAC games (eight halves) with the defense allowing four or fewer goals in five of those halves of play, including three in the final 30 minutes of play against Central Michigan (April 4).

DOWN BUT NOT OUT
EMU has won five games after trailing at some point, including twice when trailing in the fourth quarter, with the most recent coming in the Central Michigan game as the Eagles went on a 10-3 scoring run over the final 35:52 of the game to win after trailing, 6-4, with 5:52 remaining in the second quarter. The other wins have come against Lindenwood, Xavier, Oregon, and Austin Peay.

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: MASSACHUSETTS
The Minutewomen enter the weekend with an 11-2 record (4-0 MAC) with wins in their last seven games, including a 20-9 home win over Columbia (April 7). UMass has not lost since it dropped a 12-8 home decision to UConn (March 7) and recently moved to 4-0 in league play with its 18-10 home win over Akron to take over the top spot in the conference standings. UMass also is 4-1 on the road this year and has won four consecutive away from home following its 19-7 loss at No. 23 Penn State (Feb. 11).
UMass, who scored 17+ goals in 10-of-13 games in 2026 with 20+ goals in four contests, is led by a trio of players with 50+ points this year, including Kassidy Morris, how has 75 points on 52 goals and 23 assists. Ava Connaughton has added 52 points on 25 goals and 27 assists while Dylan Lyons has 50 points on 36 goals and 14 assists. Defensively, Bridget Valentine leads the team with 24 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls while goalkeeper Bayley Duffy has started all 13 games in goal where she has saved more shots (105) than goals allowed (102) this season.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. MINUTEWOMEN
Eastern and UMass are meeting for the first time.

FIRST TIME FACING
When Eastern plays UMass, it will mark the fourth game this season the Eagles have faced an opponent for the first time in program history. The Eagles are 2-1 in the previous three instances in 2026 that included a 14-11 home win over Lindenwood (Feb. 11) and a 13-10 road win at Austin Peay (March 1) before suffering an 11-8 road loss at Vanderbilt (March 4).

OH HENRY!
When the season opened, Emerson Henry scored one goal in each of the first four contests before being held without a point. That all changed in Eugene, Ore., Feb. 22, as she scored twice to help the Eagles to the upset victory (12-9) to start a run of eight consecutive games with at least one goal scored, including her four-goal, three-assist performance against Central Michigan (April 4). Over the run, Henry has tallied 21 goals and seven assists for 28 points while recording multiple goals in 7-of-8 games with three or more in three. She also has posted three or more points in four of those games with her seven against the Chippewas standing as a career high. Her 25 goals in 2026 rank 10th on the single-season scoring list and leave her one away from tying her career high of 26 scored last year as a freshman (tied for eighth on the list).

WEARING TWO HATS
Emerson Henry finished the game with Central Michigan with a 'double hat trick' as she recorded four goals and three assists in the game. It marked her first career double, the first of the year for the team, and the first since April 20, 2025, when Tracy Grollman tallied five goals and three assists at home against Akron. The double for Henry is the fifth in program history with Sydney Lawrence recorded two against Youngstown State with four goals and three assists on the road, April 8, 2023, and then again on the road, April 21, 2024, with eight goals and five helpers. Grollman also has posted two in her career with a three-goal, three-assist performance at Howard (Feb. 25, 2024) standing as her first.

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 14th-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 119 saves this season, marking her third consecutive season with 100+ saves while ranking her seventh nationally in total saves in 2026. Her 430 saves are the ninth-highest total among all active goalkeepers in NCAA Division I (as of April 8) and leaves her 20 stops away from another milestone.

PORTER ON THE RISE
Maddy Porter is among the top goalkeepers nationally as she ranks in the top 50 in four categories, including standing fourth in ground balls per game (3.85). Porter also ranks 10th in saves (119), 12th in saves per game (9.15), and 21st in saves percentage (.469). On a conference level, Porter leads the MAC in both saves and ground balls while ranking second in saves per game and third in saves percentage. She also stands fifth in goals against average at 10.86.

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 Central Michigan game (April 4), she has tallied 208 career points on 182 goals and 26 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 62 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 88.7 percent of the games she has played with 79.0 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 55-of-62 games (.887 percent)
» 2+ goals: 49-of-62 games (.790)
» 3+ goals: 38-of-62 games (.613)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-62 games (.339)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-62 games (.145)

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 38th in shots per game (6.38) and 44th in goals scored (35). Additionally, she is among the top six in five categories in the MAC standings, including third in goals, fourth in goals per game (2.69) and shots per game, fifth in points (48), and sixth in points per game (3.69).

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 8), led by the team's 18.69 ground balls per game, which ranks ninth. The Eagles also rank 20th in saves percentage (.468), 23rd in caused turnovers per game (10.62), 41st in fewest fouls committed per game (6.00), and 48th in assists per game (.608).

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
» 182 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 2.94 goals/game = 16th in NCAA Division I
» 208 points = 19th in NCAA Division I
» 3.35 points/game = 33rd in NCAA Division I
» 4.10 draw controls/game = 24th in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 4.09 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 184 ground balls = 2nd in NCAA Division I
» 9.56 saves per game = 4th in NCAA Division I
» 430 saves = 9th in NCAA Division I
Tracy Grollman
» 1.11 assists per game = 41st in NCAA Division I
» 63 assists = 45th 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 25th in total assists (28) while ranking 33rd in assists per game (2.15). She leads the MAC in both categories as well and is seventh in points (43) and eighth in points per game (3.31).

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 63 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 28 assists following the game with Central Michigan (April 4).

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 130), 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).

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 one more to become only the fifth player in EMU history to reach 50.
» Caused Turnovers: Karly Low and Annika Wozney are both nearing 50 career caused turnovers as the duo has tallied 45 and 44, respectively. They are six and seven, respectively, 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 the Colonials of Robert Morris University to town Saturday, April 18, for a 1 p.m. Mid-American Conference game at Scicluna Field. The game, which will be streamed live on ESPN+, will be the final home game of the season and serve as Senior Day with 14 players set to be recognized following the conclusion of the game.

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

Tracy Grollman

Emerson Henry

Karly Low

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Katheryn Wilson

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics