Elon, N.C – The Elon University lacrosse team continues conference play Saturday as the Phoenix travels to Buies Creek to face CAA newcomer, the Campbell Camels, Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
With a record of 5-7 overall and 1-3 in CAA play, a victory would keep Elon in contention for one of four CAA Tournament bids. Campbell enters the contest at 3-9 overall and 0-3 in CAA play.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats are available by CLICKING HERE
- The game will not have a video stream, but will be available via an audio broadcast by CLICKING HERE
- Follow the official social media accounts of Elon Lacrosse:
- Twitter - @ElonWLax
- Instagram - @ElonWLax
ABOUT CAMPBELL
- Campbell is 3-9 on the season, with the most recent loss coming to top 25 Duke on the road.
- The Camels went 12-7 a year ago, including a 7-2 record in Big South play. This season is Campbell's first season in the CAA.
- Campbell was picked last in the CAA preseason poll for the 2024 season.
- As a team, the Camels are strong in the draw controls, averaging 16.17 draws per game, ranking No. 19 nationally. They also have won 60.8 percent of draw controls, good for 12th in the country.
- Dawn Easley is in her 11th season as head women's lacrosse coach at Campbell in 2024. Over her 10 years at the helm in Buies Creek, 42 Camels have been named All-Big South, including 22 first team honorees, five conference players of the year and four Big South Scholar-Athletes of the Year, including Big South All-Decade performers Loren Day and Melissa Placek. Easley led Campbell to a program record 12 wins and matched the school record for Big South wins with seven in their final year in the conference. The Camels also reached the Big South Championship final for the second time in program history.
- Sam Bischoff was named to the preseason All-CAA team but has played in just on game this year. Rebekah Taylor earned honorable mention recognition and ranks 13th nationally with 3.08 ground balls per game.
- Campbell has been dangerous on free positions as Ally Heath and Joslin Hanbury rank among the top 25 nationally in free position percentage and have combined to score 19 free position goals.
SERIES HISTORY
- Elon and Campbell are meeting for the seventh time with Elon leading the series 5-1.
- The two programs last faced each other in 2022, with Elon coming away with a 22-20 win in a high scoring affair.
- Elon last played in Buies Creek to open the 2021 season, posting a 13-9 victory. In total, Elon is 2-1 in the all-time series on the road.
THE CONFERENCE RACE
- Four of the nine teams in the CAA will qualify for the CAA Tournament May 2 and 4 at Stony Brook.
- Stony Brook (4-0), Hofstra (4-0) and Drexel (3-0) sit atop the CAA standings without a conference loss heading into the weekend.
- Four teams are battling for the coveted fourth spot for the CAA Tournament, including Towson (2-2), Delaware (1-2), Monmouth (1-3) and Elon (1-3).
- Elon holds the tiebreak advantage over Monmouth due to a head-to-head victory. The Phoenix still plays Towson and Delaware, as well as the two CAA winless teams -- William & Mary (0-3) and Campbell (0-3).
LAST TIME OUT
- Kaitlyn Michaud scored four goals but the Drexel lacrosse team pulled away from Elon for an 18-9 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) victory Saturday at Rudd Field.
- Drexel jumped out to a 5-1 lead just seven minutes into the contest. The only Elon goal in the stretch came from Kaitlyn Michaud on Mackenzie Coleman assist.
- The Phoenix defense, though, tightened up and held Drexel scoreless over the final 8:15 of the first quarter. Michaud and Coleman each scored in the final four minutes and Elon trailed just 5-3 after one.
- After Drexel scored, a Sammy Fisher goal brough Elon within two again at 6-4 but the Dragons answered with two more goals to make it 8-4.
- Anna Hackett scored midway through the second to make it 8-5 but an ensuing four-goal run by Drexel put Elon well behind.
- That stretch ended on Hackett's second goal of the contest to make it 12-6 but Drexel responded with five more goals for a 17-6 lead.
- An Elon flurry made it 17-9 late but was not enough to overcome the deficit. Michaud scored twice and Fisher added a goal as well in the final nine minutes of the game.
- Kaitlyn Michaud had her third 4+ goal game of the season, finishing with four on six shots.
- Freshman Mackenzie Coleman had her second consecutive three-point day with a goal and two assists. She had two goals and an assist against Hofstra in the team's last time out.
- Sophomore Jessie Penner had a season-high four ground balls. Kailee Follette and Reagan Kuehn added three apiece.
- Brooke Scheuermann led the team with a career-best three caused turnovers.
- Drexel outshot Elon 31-22, including 21-18 on goal.
- Both teams recorded 19 ground balls.
- Drexel held a 21-10 advantage in the draw circle and scored six free position goals on seven free position shots.
- Elon's nine goals are the most a CAA team has scored on Drexel this year. The Dragons had not allowed more than six goals in any of their last three contests.
RACKING UP ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AWARDS
- Redshirt freshman Ana Lee Vandiver was named CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after finishing with six goals and an assist for Elon in their comeback win against VCU on Saturday. The six goals were just one shy of the program record.
- Freshman MJ Santa Barbara was named CAA Player of the Week on March 4 after leading a record breaking night in the draw control circle for the Phoenix. She finished with 10 draw controls, and as a team, helped Elon hold a 22-5 advantage in the draw circle. The +17 difference was the largest in program history.
- On March 18, Santa Barbara was named CAA Rookie of the Week for the second time. She had a record-breaking week in the draw circle, owning 24 draw controls over two games. She had nine in the midweek contest with High Point and then broke team and conference records Saturday against Monmouth. Her 15 draw controls were the most in a single-game in program history and in the history of CAA conference games. She entered the contest needing eight draw controls to break Elon's single-season record and she reached that total early in the third quarter. Following the week, she has 87 draw controls and counting in 2024.
- That wasn't all for the Phoenix, as sophomore Anna Hackett was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on March 18, after scoring six goals and adding an assist over two games during the week. After scoring twice against High Point, she had four goals and an assist in Saturday's CAA-opening victory over Monmouth. Three of Hackett's goals came in the fourth period after the Hawks had drawn to within one goal after three quarters. She scored the four goals on four shots on goal, and added two ground balls and a caused turnover during the week. Hackett is Elon's first CAA Player of the Week since Mae McGlynn earned the honor twice during the 2021 season.
MJ IN THE DC
- Freshman MJ Santa Barbara has made an immediate positive impact for Elon in the draw circle in 2024.
- Santa Barbara is averaging 8.67 draw controls per game, most in the CAA and No. 7 in the country.
- Elon holds a .608 win percentage in draws through the first twelve games of 2024, among the top 15 in the country. A year ago, the Phoenix had just a .451 win percentage and Elon has not been above 50 percent since 2021 (.523). Elon's best single-season draw record came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season when the Phoenix had a win rate of .620.
BALANCED OFFENSE
- Thirteen different players have scored at least one goal in 2024, already more than the 11 who scored a goal in all of 2023.
- Anna Hackett leads Elon with 25 goals on the season but three other players have scored at least 14 goals in Sammy Fisher (20), Cierra Hopson (19), and Kaitlyn Michaud (18).
- Ana Lee Vandiver (9), Mikaela Buoscio (7), Mackenzie Coleman (7), Mia Zebley (6), Kailey McKenna (6) and Bridget Kelly (5) have all shown an ability to score as well.
- Within the CAA, only Elon, Hofstra and Stony Brook have four players with at least 15 goals this year
- In total, ten different players have at least five goals for Elon. Within the CAA, only Delaware and William & Mary has seen as many with ten as well.
CONTROLLING THE CLEAR
- Elon ranks No. 32 in the country in clearing percentage at .903 on the season, ranking third in the CAA, only behind only Hofstra at .934 and Drexel at .911.
- The Phoenix has been perfect on clears three times this season -- in games against Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina and East Carolina.
- With the .903 clear percentage (168-of-186), Elon is on pace to break its program record for a single season of .889, set in 2020.
RECORD WATCHING
- Even with MJ Santa Barbara shattering the single-season program record with 100 draw controls as well as the single-game record with 15 against Monmouth, Elon has some more program records in sight.
- Elon's .903 team clear percentage is on pace to break the program record of .889 in a season, set in 2020.
- Elon's .608 win percentage in the draw circle is within sight of the program record .620 win percentage from 2020.
- Reagan Kuehn has 16 caused turnovers in 2024, already third-most by a freshman in program history. She is on pace to challenge the program record for a freshman of 24 set by Rachel Ramirez in 2014.
ELON AMONG THE CAA LEADERS
Listed below are Elon's ranks within the CAA:
TEAM RANKINGS (TOP THREE)
- Draw Controls - 1. Elon 16.17/game
- Women-Up Goals - 2. Elon 2.08/game
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (TOP FIVE)
ELON AMONG THE NCAA LEADERS
Listed below are Elon's ranks within the NCAA:
TEAM RANKINGS (TOP 25)
- Draw Control Percentage - 12. Elon .608
- Draw Controls/Game - 19 Elon 16.17
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (TOP 25)
-- ELON --
