ELON, N.C. – After playing in its first NCAA Tournament in 2017, Elon University women’s lacrosse announced its 2018 slate Wednesday, Dec. 13, as it looks to return to the Big Dance with a challenging 15-game slate.
Set to battle some of the nation’s best, Elon will take on six teams that participated in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Of the team’s seven home games this season, Elon will host NCAA participants North Carolina, James Madison, Towson and High Point. Other home opponents for the Phoenix this season include matchups against Stanford, Virginia Tech and William & Mary.
In challenging itself by visiting some of the nation’s best, Elon will also head to Duke for its season-opener on Sunday, Feb. 11, while visiting two other teams from last season’s NCAA Tournament field in Virginia and Notre Dame. The Phoenix will also visit Coastal Carolina, Hofstra, Delaware and Drexel this year. Additionally, Elon will take on Winthrop in a neutral-site game at Coastal Carolina on Friday, March 16.
At season’s end in 2017, Elon finished No. 19 in the IWLCA Coaches poll and No. 20 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll. Five of Elon’s opponents received postseason recognitions from both polls with North Carolina closing the year at No. 2 in the country in the IWLCA poll.
“We are looking forward to having a lot of fun playing some great competition again this season,” said Elon head coach Josh Hexter.
This season, Elon returns five players that started all 20 games last year while also bringing back Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention and Tewaaraton Watch List honoree Stephanie Asher. Last season, Asher set a new program record for goals with 58. She also had 11 assists to amass a record 69 points. The Glenelg, Md., native’s 58 goals were the 25th-most in the country and finished as the 14th-most in a season in CAA history. The Phoenix also welcomes eight new faces to the program in 2018 after sending 13 seniors out in style with the trip to the CAA Tournament title game and the NCAA Tournament.
2018 Elon Women’s Lacrosse Schedule
Date Opponent Location Feb. 11 at Duke Durham, N.C. Feb. 17 at Virginia Charlottesville, Va. Feb. 25 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. March 1 High Point Elon, N.C. March 4 Stanford Elon, N.C. March 13 North Carolina Elon, N.C. March 16 vs. Winthrop Conway, S.C. March 18 at Coastal Carolina Conway, S.C. March 24 Virginia Tech Elon, N.C. April 6 at Hofstra Hempstead, N.Y. April 13 Towson Elon, N.C. April 15 James Madison Elon, N.C. April 20 at Delaware Newark, Del. April 22 at Drexel Philadelphia, Pa. April 28 William & Mary Elon, N.C. May 4-6 CAA Championships Harrisonburg, Va.