Elon WLAX Closes out Road Swing at JMU; Hosts Tribe Sunday

ELON, N.C. – After opening Colonial Athletic Association play last weekend, the Elon women’s lacrosse team (7-5, 0-2) plays its final road game of the season before returning home to host the first of its final three regular season games this weekend. The Phoenix plays at No. 16 James Madison (9-4, 1-1) on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va., and hosts William & Mary (5-7, 1-1) on Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. in Rhodes Stadium.

Looking Back
Elon opened conference play last weekend with its first ever Colonial Athletic Association games. The Phoenix suffered a 12-2 setback at Towson on April 3 before almost completing an impressive comeback at Delaware on April 5. The maroon and gold trailed 8-2 at the start of the second half and rattled off four straight scores to pull within two of the Blue Hens. However, UD was able to hang on for the win, 8-6. The Phoenix saw two strong outings on the week from rookie Nicole Sinacori who netted every shot she took and finished with five points, four goals and one assist. Stephanie Asher tallied two goals last week, while Jacie Cooper and Anna Vitton each finished with one. Rachel Ramirez claimed a 53.5 save percentage on the week after 23 saves off 59 shots faced. The sophomore recorded nine saves against the Tigers before a season-high 14 saves at Delaware.

Scouting the Dukes
James Madison is coming off a 1-1 weekend after a 13-8 loss at Hofstra before claiming a 17-9 win at Drexel and is currently ranked No. 16. The Dukes are 9-4 overall this season with wins over two top 15 teams – Loyola (Md.) and Penn State – while only losing by a combined six goals to No. 8 Virginia and No. 1 Maryland. JMU leads the conference in goals (13.15/game) and shots (29.54/game). Betsy Angel has tallied 37 goals and 13 assists for the Dukes so far this season, followed by 32 goals and 26 goals from Stephanie Finley and Jaci Gorden, respectively. On defense, Schylar Healy leads the CAA in saves per game (8.62/game) and ranks eighth nationally in saves with 112 on the season.

Scouting the Tribe
William & Mary opened conference play last weekend with a 10-5 win at Drexel before suffering a 13-8 loss at Hofstra on Sunday and currently holds a 5-7 season record. The Tribe leads the CAA in draw controls (12.67/game) and ground balls (17.92/game) and ranks in the top 30 nationally in both categories, while also owning the best shot percentage (44.8) in the conference. Ellen Shaffrey leads the Tribe with 27 goals on the season followed by 16 goals from Shannon Quinn. Abby Corkum has tallied a team-high 31 points with 14 goals and 17 assists and is second in the CAA in assists per game (1.55/game).

Series Information
This weekend marks the first games for the Phoenix against both James Madison and William & Mary.

National Rankings
In the latest NCAA national rankings, Stephanie Asher ranks 26th in goals (35), 25th in goals per game (2.92/game) and 47th in points (42), while Sloane Kessler is 47th in assists with 15 total. Rachel Ramirez ranks 21st nationally in saves with 96 on the season and 28th in saves per game with 8.0/game.

Next Up
The Phoenix closes out the regular season next weekend when it hosts Hofstra and Drexel in Rhodes Stadium. Elon plays the Pride on Friday, April 17, at 5 p.m. before taking on the Dragons on Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m.