ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s lacrosse team (8-4, 1-1 CAA) will take to Rudd Field one last time this season to host James Madison (7-7, 3-0 CAA) in its final home game of the season on Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m. The game also marks Senior Night for the program’s two senior captains – Megan Griffin and Kelli Stack.
Last Time Out
The Elon women’s lacrosse team led by one at the break but five unanswered in the second half for No. 17 Towson helped the Tigers to an 11-9 final in the last game on Sunday at Rudd Field. The Phoenix closed the gap to one with just a few minutes remaining but was not able to pull off the upset and knock off its second ranked opponent of the season. Elon outshot the Tigers, 18-17, and finished 13-of-17 in clear attempts. The maroon and gold claimed 12 draws and picked up another 12 ground balls on the day. Anna Vitton netted a season-high three goals, taking only three shots in the game, while Maeve Cowley also tallied three points with one goal and two assists. Shelby Scanlin and Abby Godfrey each notched another two scores followed by one goal and one assist from Stephanie Asher. Alexis Zadjura claimed three draws for Elon, while Melanie McHugh had a team-high two caused turnovers and three ground balls. Rachel Ramirez also picked up three ground balls and tallied three saves for the Phoenix in goal.
Scouting the Dukes
James Madison is currently 7-7 overall on the season after taking on three ranked opponents this year, including the No. 1 and 2 ranked teams at the time of competition. The Dukes have started conference play off hot with a 3-0 record so far. JMU leads the league in goals (12.43), assists (5.36) and points per game (17.79), while also ranking at the top of the CAA in draw controls (13.21/game) and shot percentage (51.9).
Betsy Angel, the reigning CAA Co-Player of the Week, leads the league and ranks 20th in the NCAA in points (50) after 31 goals and 32 assists on the season, both of which rank her third in the conference. CAA Preseason Player of the Year Jaci Gordon is close behind after 30 goals this season.
The Series
Elon and JMU have only met once before with the meeting coming in conference play last year. The Phoenix visited the Dukes on April 10, 2015, in Harrisonburg, Va., with No. 24 JMU claiming a 22-5 final.
Common Opponents
Other than CAA competition, the Dukes and the Phoenix have faced two similar opponents this season. Both teams played North Carolina and High Point in non-conference action earlier this year. UNC got the better of both teams with an 11-7 victory at JMU on Feb. 6 and a 13-2 final at Rudd Field on March 15. The Panthers claimed a 15-9 win against the Dukes on Feb. 28 before the maroon and gold came out victorious at HPU, 12-8, on March 22 to close out non-conference action.
SAAC Food Drive
The Elon Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be hosting a food drive as part of the Colonial Athletic Association’s fourth-annual conference-wide Food Drive Challenge from Saturday, April 9 – Friday, April 15. SAAC members will be on hand at lacrosse’s home game on Friday to collect nonperishable food items and monetary donations. With the help of Elon’s Campus Kitchen, Elon’s SAAC will donate all food and monetary gifts collected to Allied Churches of Alamance County. Those with a Phoenix Card can also donate by allowing their card to be swiped for a monetary donation.
RPI Report
In the latest NCAA Women’s Lacrosse RPI released on April 12, Elon ranks 24th out of a total 111 DI women’s lacrosse teams. The Phoenix has played four teams ranked in the top 25, including one win, while six of the seven CAA programs rank in the top 50.
Conference Rankings
At this point in the season, the Phoenix ranks near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association in several statistical categories. The team is second in ground balls (16.00/game) and fourth in shots (24.08 /game). Stephanie Asher ranks fifth in the league with her 26 goals this year and is fourth in the CAA in scoring with 2.17 goals per game, while Sloane Kessler ranks 10th with her 1.92 goals/game. Asher also ranks first in shots per game with 6.75, while Rachel Ramirez is second in saves (6.00/game), first in ground balls (3.17/game) and fourth in caused turnovers (1.50/game).
Next Up
The Phoenix plays its first conference road games of the season next weekend when the team travels to Drexel and Hofstra. Elon takes on the Dragons in Philadelphia on Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m. before closing out the weekend in Hempstead, N.Y., against the Pride on Sunday, April 24, at noon.