Elon, N.C. – The Elon University lacrosse team scored a season-high 18 goals to earn a pivotal 18-11 Coastal Athletic Association victory over William & Mary Sunday on Rudd Field. Elon improves to 7-7 overall and 3-3 in league play with the win, while William & Mary falls to 4-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play. The Phoenix wins back-to-back league games for the first time since 2021 and moves into a tie with Towson in the race for the fourth and final CAA Tournament spot.
 
Elon set a program record by scoring nine free position goals in the contest, scoring those on 12 free position shots.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Elon scored five goals in the first 11 minutes of action, building an early 5-1 lead. Mackenzie Coleman opened the scoring and then Anna Hackett scored a woman-up goal with 9:57 left in the first quarter for a 2-0 lead.
• After William & Mary cut the deficit in half, Elon got three consecutive goals from Kaitlyn Michaud, Cierra Hopson and Sammy Fisher.
• William & Mary weathered the storm by scoring twice just 31 seconds apart late in the first quarter and Elon led 5-3 after one.
• The two teams traded goals in the second, beginning with Hackett's second of the contest. After a Tribe goal, Mia Zebley put Elon ahead by three again at 7-4. William & Mary answered but Hackett got the hat trick with just nine seconds left in the half for the 8-5 lead.
• William & Mary held Elon scoreless over the first nine minutes of the third quarter and clawed to within one at 8-7 with 6:19 to play in the period. But that opened up Elon's offensive efforts.
• The Phoenix scored the next five goals, including three of the final 5:11 of the third. Fisher had a pair of goals and Bridget Kelly scored once as Elon led 11-7 going into the fourth.
• Zebley and Kaitlin Michaud both added early fourth quarter goals for the 13-7 advantage but William & Mary answered quickly to make it 13-8.
• Michaud, Zebley and Fisher scored in a flurry over a span of 104 seconds to make it 16-8.
• Zebley picked up her career-high fourth goal with 5:24 left and Gwen Eilender got her first career goal with 2:41 remaining on an assist from Hopson. William & Mary scored three times late for the final 18-11 score.

 
NOTES AND STATS

• Elon's nine free position goals were two more than the previous program record of seven, set against High Point in 2018. Anna Hackett, Mia Zebley and Kaitlyn Michaud were both 2-for-2 on free positions, while Mackenzie Coleman, Bridget Kelly and Cierra Hopson each added a free position goal.
• Hackett now has 12 free position goals on the season and 22 in her two-year career. The 12 this year are just two shy of the program record and the 22 in her career are fourth-most at Elon.
• Zebley entered Sunday's contest with eight goals on the season but had a career-high four in the contest on just four shots.
• Fisher added four goals, her third 4+ goal game of the season.
• Hackett and Michaud had three goals each, giving Elon four players with a hat trick, the most in a single game for the Phoenix since having four hat tricks in a 21-9 win over Furman in 2022.
• Gwen Eilender became Elon's 14^th different player to score a goal this season.
• Elon's 18 goals are the most for a Phoenix team in a single-game since a 19-9 win over Winthrop in 2022. It is the most for Elon in a conference game since defeating Drexel 18-13 in 2018.
• Elon has won back-to-back CAA games for the first time since defeating James Madison and William & Mary to open conference play in 2021.
• Hackett and Jessie Penner led Elon with three ground balls each. Hackett, Penner and Kaitlyn Michaud had two caused turnovers apiece.
• MJ Santa Barbara had 13 draw controls and Kailee Follette added six as Elon dominated in the circle by a count of 23-8.
• That draw circle advantage allowed Elon to outshoot William & Mary 31-21, including 26-18 on goal.
• Caitlin Walsh made seven saves in goal for Elon, giving her 106 on the season. She also had 106 in 2023, giving her 212 for her career.
• Elon improves to 7-2 all-time against William & Mary and 4-0 at home against The Tribe.
• Elon improved to 7-0 on the season when scoring 12 or more goals in a game.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon hosts Delaware for Senior Day Saturday at noon. At 9-5 overall and 2-4 in CAA play, the Blue Hens are just one game behind Elon in the conference standings.