Elon, N.C. – The Elon lacrosse team (4-11, 0-6 CAA) will complete the 2023 season Saturday at William & Mary (7-8, 2-4 CAA) Saturday at noon at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. While the game will be the final contest of the season for Elon, William & Mary has an outside chance of qualifying for the CAA Tournament with a win and some help around the league.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• The broadcast of the game is available by CLICKING HERE.
• Live stats are available by CLICKING HERE.
• Follow the official social media accounts of Elon Lacrosse:
  • Twitter - @ElonWLax
  • Instagram - @ElonWLax

 
ABOUT WILLIAM & MARY

• William & Mary has posted seven regular season wins and two conference victories for the first time since 2011. The Tribe defeated Hofstra 13-12 in the season opener and posted an identical score in an overtime win over Delaware. The Tribe also has non-conference wins over Old Dominion, Campbell, Columbia, Longwood and George Washington.
• The Tribe's biggest strength has come in turning its opponent over, averaging 7.9 caused turnovers and 15.8 ground balls per contest. The team has struggled in the draw circle and is among the bottom 10 nationally with a 41.3 draw control percentage. William & Mary's shot percentage is also just 37.7 percent which has translated into just 9.5 goals per contest.
• Goalie Elise Palmer is averaging 8.0 saves per game with a 41.5 save percentage. She is giving up 14.3 goals per contest.
• Head Coach Colleen Dawson is in her fourth season leading William & Mary. She is just 16-34 in her tenure but almost half of those wins have come this season. The team's two conference wins this year are the first CAA victories since 2019.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Elon is 5-1 all-time against William & Mary, including a 2-1 record on the road. Elon has won four consecutive meetings in the all-time series.
• Elon won a year ago on Rudd Field, 17-12, to extend the Phoenix's winning streak to four over The Tribe. William & Mary's only victory came in 2016 with an 11-9 result. In the current four game win streak, Elon has won by an average of 8.0 goals per game.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• On Senior Day, Elon came up one goal short in a 12-11 loss to Delaware last Saturday.
• Elon tied the contest with 29 seconds left but Delaware won the ensuing draw and scored with only five second remaining for the victory.
• Elon led by scores of 4-0 and 7-3 but the Blue Hens rallied in the second half.
• Kaley Ehnow had career highs with four goals and five points, including scoring the game-tying goal with 29 seconds to play.

 
IT TAKES 60 (AND SOMETIMES MORE)

• Elon has been tied or in the lead in the fourth quarter eight times this season, going 4-4 in those contests.
• In a season-opening 12-11 loss to Old Dominion, Elon led 11-10 on a Hannah McCarthy goal with 13:46 to play. ODU tied the game at 7:28 to play and won it on a goal with 5:31 left.
• Elon never trailed against Queens, leading 10-2 at one point and holding a 10-5 lead heading into the fourth.
• Against VCU, Elon led 7-6 going into the fourth. After VCU tied it with 10:42 to go, Elon took an 8-7 advantage on a Cierra Hopson goal with 8:59 left. VCU would tie the game with 3:02 left and then win it in overtime.
• In two road victories, the Phoenix beat George Mason 14-13 and Coastal Carolina 16-15. Elon rallied to score the final three goals in the George Mason win but never trailed in the fourth quarter against CCU.
• In the team's 9-8 win at High Point, Elon led in the fourth quarter for only the final 12 seconds after Kaley Ehnow's goal put the Phoenix ahead for good.
• In the loss to Monmouth, Elon led 10-9 and 11-10 in the fourth quarter, but Monmouth tied the game with 4:22 to play and scored the game-winner 26 seconds later.
• On Senior Day, Elon and Delaware went into the fourth quarter tied and the score was still deadlocked after a Kaley Ehnow goal with 29 seconds remaining. The Blue Hens scored 24 seconds later for the 12-11 win.

 
DOWN TO THE WIRE

• Among Elon's 15 games, seven have been decided by one goal. The Phoenix is 3-4 in those contests.
• With seven one-goal games, Elon has broken the program record of five one-goal games, set in 2017.
• The 2017 team went 4-1 in one goal games, which included three one-goal wins over ranked opponents (No. 13 Virginia, No. 19 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Towson).
• The 2016 team played three straight one-goal games, just as this year's team did, picking up wins over Coastal Carolina and Duke, followed by a one-score loss at Vanderbilt.

 
SOPHOMORE CIERRA SETTING SCORING MARKS

• Cierra Hopson leads Elon with 43 points in 2023, leading the team both in goals (33) and assists (10). In a win over Coastal Carolina earlier this season, she had a career-high eight points. She had a career-best seven at Towson.
• Hopson now has 56 career goals, eighth-most in program history. Nicole Sinacori (2015-18) is next on the list with 59 goals.
• Hopson's 16 assists are seventh in school history. Shannon Horan (2016-19) had 21 and is currently sixth.
• Hopson's 72 career points is tied with Abby Godfrey (2015-18) for sixth in program history. Sinacori is fifth with 83 career points.

 
HACKETT MAKING IT LOOK EASY

• Just a freshman, Anna Hackett recorded a program-record five consecutive hat tricks before being held to just two goals against No. 6 Stony Brook. She is second on the team with 32 goals and has scored at least three goals seven times.
• Hackett's five-game run of three-or-more goals began with three goals and an assist against Virginia on March 5 and concluded with three goals against Monmouth on March 18. She has scored at least one goal in 11 of the team's 12 games.
• Hackett is fifth in goals scored in program history among freshmen. She needs one more to tie Anna Vitton (2014) and Kaley Thompson (2019) for third. Stephanie Asher scored a freshman program-record 44 goals in 2015.
• Hackett's 32 goals are tied for 12th among freshmen at the NCAA Division I level this year and the most in the CAA.

 
SUPER SAMMY

• Sophomore Sammy Fisher tied the program record with 12 draw controls in the team's victory over Queens.
• Fisher tied the program record for a single-game set by former teammate Gillian Curren (and then tied) a year ago. Curren had 12 draw controls against both Campbell and William & Mary.
• With 54 draw controls on the season, Fisher is fifth in a single-season in program history. She needs five more to catch Curran (59 in 2019) for fourth. Curran holds the program record with 79 draw controls a year ago.
• Fisher's 70 career draw controls are fourth in program history. Alexis Zadjura (2015-18) is third with 95 and Curran holds the program record with 195 from 2019-22.

 
TURNING THEM OVER

• Elon set a number of single-game school records in the season-opener against Old Dominion as the Phoenix continually forced the Monarchs into turnovers.
• Old Dominion committed 28 turnovers, the most committed by an Elon opponent in a single game, breaking the previous record of 25 set by William & Mary in 2017.
• Elon forced most of those, causing a school-record 22 turnovers in the game. That broke the previous record of 18 caused turnovers in the 2017 contest against William & Mary.
• Mikaela Buoscio was especially adept at forcing turnovers, tying the program record with seven caused turnovers in a contest. That ties the seven that Melanie McHugh caused in that 2017 William & Mary game.
• Kaley Ehnow, Cierra Hopson and Julia Dalmass each forced three turnovers as well. Freshman Jessie Penner forced two in her collegiate debut.

 
HACKETT NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

• Elon freshman Anna Hackett was named CAA Rookie of the Week on Feb. 20 after scoring seven goals in two games for the Phoenix. Hackett had three goals in a win over Queens and then followed that up with four goals against VCU. She had four caused turnovers during the two contests as well.

 
ELON AMONG THE CAA LEADERS

• Listed below are Elon's ranks within the CAA through ten games:

 
TEAM RANKINGS (TOP THREE)
Shot Percentage – 2. Elon .432
Saves Per Game – 3. Elon 8.67
 
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (TOP TEN)
Goals Per Game – 10. Cierra Hopson 2.20
Goals Against Average – 9. Caitlin Walsh 13.79
Save Percentage – 8. Caitlin Walsh .407
Saves Per Game – 5. Caitlin Walsh 7.38
Draw Controls Per Game – 10. Sammy Fisher 3.60
 
ELON AMONG THE NCAA LEADERS

• Listed below are Elon's ranks within the NCAA:

 
TEAM RANKINGS (TOP 50)
Clearing Percentage – 39. Elon .883
Free-Position Percentage – 23. Elon .494
Shot Percentage – 48. Elon .432
 
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (TOP 50)
Free Position Percentage – 22. Anna Hackett .625
Shot Percentage – 46. Anna Hackett .533
 
FOLLETTE EARNS CAA PRESEASON RECOGNITION

• Junior defender Kailee Follette was named to the 2023 CAA Women's Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference honorable mention team.
• Follette played in all 16 games a year ago, starting 15 times. She led Elon with 26 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
• She has started 27 times over the course of her first two years at Elon.

 
TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED

• Head Coach Josh Hexter has named senior Julia Dalmass and Ellie Stricker, along with juniors Kailee Follette and Mikaela Buoscio as captains for the 2023 season.
• Dalmass is a team captain for the second consecutive year and has started all 33 of Elon's games over the past three years. She has 22 career caused turnovers, 32 career ground balls and 25 career draw controls.
• Stricker started 14 games in 2022 and had 15 ground balls and seven cause turnovers on the season.
• Follette led the 2022 team with 26 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
• Buoscio has played in 25 games over the past two seasons, recording three goals and three assists in 2022. She was 2-for-2 on free position shots and added nine ground balls, 12 draw controls and four caused turnovers.

 
GLOBAL IMPACT

• Over Thanksgiving Break 2022, the Elon lacrosse team spent a week in Greece as part of Elon's commitment to diversity and global engagement.
• The team spent time exploring the country, visiting places like Athens, Olympia, and the Acropolos, as well as leading lacrosse clinics at different schools.