ELON, N.C. – In just its second season in the Colonial Athletic Association and its third year as a program, the Elon women’s lacrosse team is heading to its first CAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship as the No. 3 seed. The Phoenix (10-6) faces No. 2 Towson (13-3) in the second semifinal game on Friday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. at Vidas Field on the campus of Drexel in Philadelphia.
Last Time Out
A ferocious comeback in the second half fell short for Elon in its last game on April 30 as the Phoenix fell at William & Mary, 11-9, at Martin Family Stadium. The maroon and gold trailed by as much as five to start the second half and closed the gap to one before the Tribe held on for the win. The Phoenix outshot the Tribe, 23-16, claimed a 19-16 advantage in ground balls, won eight draws, had 15 caused turnovers and finished 12-of-16 in clear attempts. Maeve Cowley claimed a team-high three points on the day after two goals and one assist, while Shelby Scanlin and Abby Godfrey each netted two goals. Anna Vitton, Stephanie Asher and Kelli Stack each posted scores as well for the maroon and gold. Asher, Godfrey and Melanie McHugh all picked up four ground balls, while Godfrey had a career-high four caused turnovers followed by three each from Asher and McHugh. Alexis Zadjura claimed a team-high four draws, while Scanlin finished with two draws, two ground balls and two draws. Rachel Ramirez took the loss in goal after five saves on the day.
Scouting the Tigers
Towson is currently ranked No. 19 in the country after a 13-3 regular season. The Tigers finished 5-1 in CAA play to earn the second seed in the tournament, dropping its only game to top-seeded James Madison, 11-9. All-CAA First Team selection Kaitlyn Montalbano leads the team with 48 points on the season after 32 goals and 16 assists and has 25 ground balls, 35 draw controls and 15 caused turnovers. Defender Tianna Wallpher also earned a first team nod with her 29 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers this season, ranking fourth and third in the league, respectively. The Tigers have several talented newcomers that won nine of the 12 CAA Rookie of the Week honors this year. Carly Tellekamp, who earned the weekly rookie honor four times, has 22 goals and three assists, while Carly Sulmonte, the 2016 CAA Rookie of the Year, has 22 goals, four assists and 37 draws. Rookie goalie Angie Benson has the sixth best goals-against average in the country (6.83) and the third-best save percentage in the league with a 44.9 mark.
The Series
The Tigers hold a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series after winning the meeting last season in Towson, Md., and earlier this year at Rudd Field. Elon led by one at the break but five unanswered in the second half for No. 17 Towson helped the Tigers to an 11-9 win on April 10. The Phoenix closed the gap to one with just a few minutes remaining but was not able to pull off the upset. TU won the first meeting, 12-2, on April 3, 2015, in Elon’s first CAA game.
Six Pick Up All-CAA Honors
The CAA announced its 2016 All-CAA Women’s Lacrosse Teams on Thursday, May 5. A total of six Phoenix garnered all-conference honors this year – Stephanie Asher, Rachel Ramirez, Sloane Kessler, Alexis Zadjura, Shannon Horan and Stephanie Thomson. Asher and Ramirez claimed spots on the All-CAA First Team followed by Kessler and Zadjura on the second team. Horan claimed all-rookie honors, while Thomson was selected to the all-academic squad.
Weekly Honors
The Phoenix took home a total of four weekly CAA honors this season. On Feb. 16, Stephanie Asher and Rachel Ramirez picked up the first CAA Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week awards, respectively after wins against San Diego State and Longwood to open the season. On April 25, Maeve Cowley was named the player of the week and Ramirez garnered her second defensive nod of the season after league victories on the road at Drexel and Hofstra.
Head Coach Josh Hexter
The 2016 season marks the third year for Elon head coach Josh Hexter after he was hired in April 2012 to start and lead the Phoenix women’s lacrosse program from the ground up. Hexter wasted no time making Elon lacrosse a success and was named the Atlantic-Sun Coach of the Year in 2014. Over the course of three seasons, he has coached two conference freshmen of the year and a total of 12 all-conference players. He owns an 98-65 career record in his 19 seasons as a head coach and a 26-23 overall record at Elon.
Program Milestones
In just its third year, the Elon women’s lacrosse program has reached several new program milestones. This season marks the program’s first winning season and the first 10-win season for the Phoenix.
Championship Experience
While this marks Elon’s first trip to the CAA Championship, both the team and coaches have conference tournament experience. Elon advanced to the conference tournament semifinals in its first season as a member of the Atlantic Sun. While an assistant and associate head coach at Duke, Elon head coach Josh Hexter helped the Blue Devils to one Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title and five NCAA semifinal appearances. Assistant coach Brittany Dipper helped her alma mater Maryland to four consecutive ACC titles and the 2010 NCAA national title.
Elon in Conference Tournaments
The Phoenix is 0-1 all-time in conference tournaments. Elon reached the Atlantic Sun conference tournament in 2014 as the No. 2 seed after a 4-1 regular season. The maroon and gold fell to No. 3 Detroit in the semifinals, 15-11, in Jacksonville, Fla.
RPI Report
In the latest NCAA Women’s Lacrosse RPI released on May 3, Elon ranks 30th out of a total 111 DI women’s lacrosse teams. The Phoenix has played six teams ranked in the top 30, including two wins, while six of the seven CAA programs rank in the top 50.
Conference Rankings
At the end of the regular season, the Phoenix ranks near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association in ground balls and shots. The team is third in ground balls (15.12/game) and second in shots (23.62/game). Stephanie Asher ranks fifth in the league with her 34 goals this year and is fourth in the CAA in scoring with 2.12 goals per game. Asher also ranks first in shots per game with 6.62 and Kessler is fifth in assists with 19 on the season. Goalie Rachel Ramirez is fourth in saves (5.69/game) and first in ground balls (2.81/game).
Historic Win
On Feb. 25, the Phoenix posted a historic program win in the form of a 7-6 final at No. 10 Duke. Not only did it mark Elon’s first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference team but it was also the team’s first victory against a ranked opponent. With the game tied with six seconds remaining, Sloane Kessler found Shelby Scanlin who got the ball in the left side of the net to score the game winner. The win was also poignant for head coach Josh Hexter who spent eight seasons as an assistant and associate head coach for the Blue Devils prior to accepting the Elon head coaching position in 2012 to start the program.
Program First
After a 4-1 start to the season and its first win over a ranked opponent, the Elon received votes in both of the women’s lacrosse national Division I polls on Feb. 29. It marked the first time in program history that the team received votes in either poll. The Phoenix was one of five teams receiving votes in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division I Poll, which ranks the top 20 teams, and was one of 11 programs with votes in Inside Lacrosse’s media poll.
Next Up
If Elon advances, the Phoenix will face the winner of the other CAA semifinal game, featuring No. 1 James Madison vs. No. 4 Drexel. The championship game is set for 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, May 8, in Philadelphia at Vidas Field.