Elon WLAX Opens CAA Play This Weekend

ELON, N.C. – After going 7-3 in non-conference play, the Elon women’s lacrosse team plays its first Colonial Athletic Association games this weekend with a current four-game winning streak entact. The Phoenix competes in its first CAA game on Friday, April 3, at Towson at 7 p.m. in Towson, Md., before closing out the weekend at Delaware at 1 p.m. in Newark, Del.

Looking Back
Elon extended its current win streak to four games after a 13-8 victory over Liberty on Saturday. With the game tied at seven-all at the beginning of the second frame, the Phoenix scored six straight goals in the span of 20 minutes to help outscore the Flames 6-2 in the half for the final five-goal advantage. The maroon and gold saw scores from seven players in the game, including five goals and two assists by Stephanie Asher. Nicole Sinacori and Kelsey Dupere each netted two goals, while Abby Godfrey, Sloane Kessler, Molly Garrigan and Anna Vitton each scored one. Dupere, Godfrey, Kessler and Sinacori also added assists to their line on the day. Rachel Ramirez played the full game in goal, recording seven saves and six ground balls on the day.

Scouting the Tigers
Three-time defending CAA Champion Towson is coming off a 15-5 loss to Loyola on Wednesday. The Tigers were picked to repeat a fourth time as league champions by the CAA head coaches prior to the season and currently own a 4-5 overall record. Andi Raymond has netted a team-high 14 goals on the season, while Erika Cavallo and Gabby Cha each have 12 goals. Samantha Brookhart has tallied 11 assists so far with Raymond also adding nine assists on the year.

Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware is 8-4 on the season after a 12-10 victory in its last game at No. 11 Princeton in its last game on Saturday. UD owns the only CAA win so far this season after knocking off preseason favorite Towson on March 18, 6-5, in Newark. The Blue Hens have the eighth best scoring defense in the country and lead the league and rank 12th nationally in caused turnovers (9.92/game). Casey Lyons and Caitlin McCartney lead the Blue Hens with 29 and 28 goals on the season, respectively, while Shannon Hawley, the reigning CAA Player of the Week, has netted 25 on the season.

Series Information
This weekend marks the first games for the Phoenix against both Towson and Delaware.

Elon in Conference Play
While this year marks the first for Elon in the CAA, the Phoenix went 4-1 in the Atlantic Sun last season and finished second during the regular season.

Going Streaking
The current Phoenix winning streak of four games marks the longest in Elon program history. The maroon and gold had two stretches last season of three straight wins, matching that mark again this season.

Two-time Honoree
On March 30, Stephanie Asher was named the CAA Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. The freshman led Elon to its 13-8 win over Liberty on Saturday, tallying seven points in the game after tying her career high of five goals and handing off two assists. Asher took nine shots in the game, seven on goal, to post a 77.8 shot-on-goal percentage. The Glenelg, Md., native also went a perfect 1-for-1 in free position shots and recorded a game-high three draw controls.

National Rankings
In the latest NCAA national rankings, Elon ranks 40th in the country in points with 150 on the season and 24th in ground balls per game (18/game). Individually, Stephanie Asher ranks 18th in goals (33) and 37th in points (40), while Sloane Kessler is 38th in assists with 15 total. Rachel Ramirez ranks 44th nationally in saves with 73 on the season and 48th in saves per game with 7.30/game.

Next Up
After this conference opening weekend, Elon travels to James Madison on Friday, April 10, for a 7 p.m. game in Harrisonburg, Va., before hosting William & Mary at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, at Rhodes Stadium.