Elon vs. Winthrop Date/Time Feb. 15 | 6:00 p.m. Location Elon, N.C. Facility Rudd Field Series History First Meeting Last Meeting N/A Live Stats Click Here Live Video Phoenix All-Access Twitter Updates @ElonWLax

ELON, N.C. – Coming off one of the biggest wins in program history, Elon University women's lacrosse will open a three-game homestand Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. when it hosts Winthrop at Rudd Field. The game is set to be streamed live on Phoenix All-Access. 

LAST TIME OUT
Abby Godfrey scored with one second to play on Saturday, Feb. 11, in lifting Elon to an 11-10 victory over No. 13/14 Virginia in Charlottesville. The win marks Elon's second-ever win over a ranked program. It is also the second year in a row the Phoenix has defeated an ACC opponent after knocking off No. 10 Duke in 2016. Stephanie Asher led Elon with five goals but Godfrey had a solid day with a team-high four draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. In the cage, Rachel Ramirez made six saves and picked up a team-high three ground balls. 

SERIES HISTORY
Elon and Winthrop have never met on the lacrosse field. All-time against the Big South, Elon is 11-3 and has won eight in a row against Big South opponents. That mark includes Elon's 15-5 win over Campbell to open the 2017 season. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Wednesday's game is the season-opener for Winthrop. The Eagles are led by first-year head coach Julika Blankenship, who previously coached at Queens University of Charlotte and led the Royals to an 18-3 record last season and the second round of the Division II NCAA Tournament. A season ago under John Sung, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, Winthrop went 20-3, won the Big South Tournament title and went to the NCAA Tournament but fell to Penn State in the first round, 16-6.

NATIONALLY RANKED WINS
With the Feb. 11 win over No. 13/14 Virginia, Elon has now beat a nationally-ranked team in each of the last two seasons. In 2016, the Phoenix went on the road to No. 10 Duke and won 7-6 in Durham, N.C. Beating Virginia now gives Elon an all-time record of 2-6 against ACC opponents. Overall against ranked teams, Elon is 2-8 in 10 games to date.

TAKING THE HARDWARE
With her team-leading five goals and game-high four draw controls in the season opener against Campbell, Stephanie Asher was named CAA Player of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 7. It marked the second Player of the Week award of her career. This week on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Alexis Zadjura took CAA Defensive Player of the Week after leading Elon's defense with three draw controls, two ground balls and two caused turnovers while helping to keep three of Virginia's top scorers to just two goals apiece in the game.

PRESEASON HONORS
Two Phoenix earned preseason All-CAA honors on Jan. 20 with Stephanie Asher and Rachel Ramirez being named to the All-CAA team and Sloane Kessler and Alexis Zadjura earning honorable mentions. In the preseason poll, Elon was selected to finish third behind Towson and James Madison. The third-place selection is the highest Elon has been in a preseason poll in the program's brief history.

LOOKING BACK AT 2016
Elon posted its first winning season and first 10-win season in 2016 with an overall 10-7 record and 3-3 mark in the CAA. One of those victories was Elon's 7-6 win at No. 10 Duke, the program's first win over an ACC team and first win over a ranked opponent. At season's end, the Phoenix finished No. 29 in the NCAA RPI. Elon was second in the CAA with 15.2 ground balls, 23.4 shots and just 10.9 turnovers per game in 2016 and Stephanie Asher was third in the conference with 2.2 goals per contest and fourth in assists with 1.2 per outing. Rachel Ramirez finished tops in the CAA with 3.06 ground balls a game, a total of 52 on the season. 

HEAD COACH JOSH HEXTER
The 2017 campaign marks the fourth season at the helm of the program for head coach Josh Hexter after being hired in April 2012 to start and lead the Phoenix lacrosse program from the ground up. Named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year in 2014, Hexter has amassed 100 wins in his career at Elon and Bridgewater State with a 28-24 record in 52 games at Elon. Over the course of his first three seasons, he has coached two conference freshmen of the year and a total of 12 all-conference players. 

UP NEXT
The Phoenix will continue a three-game homestand on Sunday, Feb. 19, with a 1 p.m. matchup against High Point. Elon has played High Point every season to date and has won each of the last two meetings after falling in the first matchup in 2014. Last season, the Phoenix took down the Panthers 12-8 in High Point.