ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s lacrosse team (6-3) closes out a four-game home stand when it hosts Liberty (2-7) on Saturday, March 28, and looks to continue its three-game winning streak at 2 p.m. in Rhodes Stadium.
Looking Back
The Phoenix increased its current winning streak to three with a 10-5 victory over Davidson on March 21. Elon dominated the game with 28 shots overall compared to 12 for the Wildcats. The maroon and gold also picked up 19 ground balls and finshed 13-for-13 on clears. The Phoenix saw six players find the back of the net in the game. Stephanie Asher topped the group with a hat trick, while Sloane Kessler scored twice for Phoenix and also tallied an assist. Abby Godfrey also netted two goals followed by an assist and a goal by Kelsey Dupere. Anna Vitton recorded one score in the game, as did Kelli Stack for her second goal on the season. Nicole Sinacori paced the team with three assists on the afternoon, while Phoenix goalkeeper Rachel Ramirez came out with a win, playing the full sixty minutes and tallying three saves.
Scouting the Flames
Liberty is 2-7 on the season after an 18-5 setback at James Madison on Wednesday. The Flames claimed its first win of the year with a 17-13 victory against George Washington and then recently took an 11-7 final against George Mason on March 25. Liberty is led by 24 goals from Katy Pridemore who also has eight assists on the season. The Flames also sees scoring from Sam Struss with 18 goals and a team-high nine assists so far this year. Nina Dunay leads the team at the draw with 19 draw controls, while goalie Juliann Elmer has 131 saves and 27 ground balls this season. Elmer leads the nation in saves and saves per game (15.13/game).
Series Information
Elon and Liberty met last year on Feb. 21 in the second ever program game for the Phoenix. The Flames claimed the victory, 13-9, to take the 1-0 advantage in the early all-time series. Elon saw three goals from both Anna Vitton and Annie Shenk, along with three assists by Sloane Kessler, while Rachel Ramirez tallied 13 saves on the day.
National Rankings
In the latest NCAA national rankings, Elon ranks 38th in the country in points with 131 on the season and 24th in ground balls per game (18/game). Individually, Stephanie Asher ranks 12th in goals (28) and 33rd in points (33), while Sloane Kessler is 29th in assists with 14 total. Rachel Ramirez ranks 38th nationally in saves with 66 on the season and 47th in saves per game with 7.33/game.
Next Up
Elon begins its first season of Colonial Athletic Association competition next week with its first conference game at three-time defending CAA Champion Towson on Friday, April 3. The game is set for 7 p.m. in Towson, Md.