Elon Women’s Lacrosse Upsets #12 James Madison in Home Opener, 6-5

ELON, N.C.—The Elon University women’s lacrosse team made history on Sunday, March 7 as it defeated nationally-ranked James Madison (2-1, 0-1 CAA) for its first win in program history against the Dukes, 6-5. JMU entered the game ranked 12th in the nation by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.

BOX SCORE

“It’s been a long time coming,” said head coach Josh Hexter. “To get a win over a team like JMU who plays so hard all the time, every play, it speaks to our girls and just how poised we were able to stay throughout the entire game. I’m really proud of their poise and the mental toughness they showed.”

THE RUNDOWN
-Elon jumped out to a four-goal lead in the first half (5-1), with three of the goals coming from Cate Mackel and the other two from Margaret Stephan and Gillian Curran.
-The Dukes responded with back-to-back goals within the first five minutes in the second half. Following a goal by Sara Bouwman, James Madison added a pair of goals to come within one of the Phoenix. The maroon and gold held on the rest of the way and got the win.

NOTES
-Mackel finished the day with game highs in both goals and points (3), while Bouwman, Curran and Stephan added the other three Elon goals.
-For the second game in a row, freshman Kailee Follette totaled a team best in ground balls (4), followed by Lyndsey Morhardt (3) and Meredith Curtin (2).
-In the draw circle, Curran tied for the game high in draw controls (3).
-In goal, Paulina DiFatta earned her second win of the season, totaling eight saves on the day. Her save count marks the highest since the 2019 season when she recorded 10 against the Dukes in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Semifinals.
-This afternoon’s loss for JMU marks its first since Feb. 8, 2020 when the Dukes fell to North Carolina, 15-7.
-The victory is the Phoenix’s fifth all-time win against nationally-ranked opponents, improving the program record to 5-33 against top 25 teams.
-With the win, Elon improves to 2-0 (1-0 CAA) on the season.

UP NEXT
Elon returns Rudd Field on Wednesday, March 10 for a 5 p.m. matchup against Radford.