High Point, N.C. – The Elon women's lacrosse team renews its annual Piedmont rivalry game with High Point Wednesday as the two programs look to build momentum for conference action. The Phoenix enters the game at 3-3 overall and High Point is 1-4.
 
Elon and High Point have played one-goal games in each of the last two years with the visiting team coming out on top in each. The Phoenix is coming off of a 15-14 overtime win at Coastal Carolina in which the team rallied from a five-goal deficit with only 11 minutes to play.
 
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BREAKING DOWN THE RALLY

• Elon posted a miraculous comeback in its most recent game, overcoming a five-goal fourth quarter deficit to beat Coastal Carolina 15-14 in overtime.
• Coastal Carolina scored with 11:34 remaining in the fourth quarter to build a 14-9 lead, but that would be the last goal of the game for the Chanticleers.
• Elon won the ensuing draw and Ana Lee Vandiver scored on a pass from Cierra Hopson 62 seconds later to make it 14-10. Following another draw control victory, Vandiver earned a free position attempt and buried the shot 49 seconds after the previous goal to make it 14-11 with 9:43 to go.
• Coastal Carolina won the next draw and the two teams traded possessions until Addie Gilner drew a free position opportunity. She scored with 5:04 remaining and suddenly the Phoenix was within two.
• Following a media timeout, Vandiver won the draw and scored 37 seconds after Gilner's free position to make it 14-13.
• Coastal won the draw and looked to run clock, earning a free position attempt with 2:56 to play. But Caitlin Walsh made a big save and the Phoenix had possession. Elon missed on two shots in the final minute but with the clock running down, Gilner found Vandiver for a goal with 14 seconds remaining – Vandiver's fifth of the game and fourth in the final 11 minutes.
• In overtime, Sammy Fisher won the draw for the Phoenix and she would score on the first possession of the golden goal period, 62 seconds into play.
• The five-goal comeback equaled Elon's largest in program history, but was the first time the Phoenix rallied from that far back in the second half (not to mention the fourth quarter).

 
SCOUTING HIGH POINT

• High Point is just 1-4 on the season but the Panthers did beat another CAA opponent, Campbell, 15-10. High Point also lost to CAA foe William & Mary 18-17 in its most recent contest.
• As a team, High Point average 13.4 goals per game with a .447 shot percentage, both among the top 40 nationally. The Panthers have struggled in save percentage (.371) and turnovers per game (17.6).
• Senior attack Esprit Cha is averaging 3.80 goals per game, No. 16 nationally, while sophomore defender Julia Dustin is 20th in the country with 2.2 caused turnovers per game. Cha is also averaging 4.6 points per game with a .528 shot percentage and 7.2 shots per game.
• Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell was hired in 2009 and has compiled a record of 165-92. She has been named conference coach of the year seven times, including six out of the last eight in the Big South.

 
SERIES HISTORY VS. HIGH POINT

• High Point leads the all-time series against Elon 5-4 and the Panthers have won four of the last five meetings. Both of the last two contests, though, were decided by just one goal.
• In last year's contest, Elon fell behind early and never had a lead. High Point scored with 2:49 left to go ahead 12-10 and Elon's goal with just 12 seconds remaining made the final margin one goal.
• Two years ago, Elon won at High Point when Kaley Ehnow broke an 8-8 tie on a goal with 12 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix a one-goal victory.
• The two programs are 2-2 all-time at High Point.

 
THE TURNOVER BATTLE

• Elon ranks sixth in the country and first among all CAA teams in fewest turnovers, averaging just 11.33 per game. High Point, on the other hand, has averaged 17.60 turnovers per game, ranking No. 102 out of 120 teams in the country.
• High Point, though, does force a lot of turnovers, average 9.20 caused turnovers per game, among the top 40 in the country. Elon is just behind with 8.67 caused turnovers a game.
• Elon had only five turnovers at Coastal Carolina Saturday, tied for the fewest in a game in program history.

 
LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AHEAD

• Elon went 9-8 in 2024 and posted a 5-3 record in the CAA, qualifying for the CAA Tournament semifinals. That record was a five-win improvement over 2023 both overall and in conference.
• The Phoenix returns seven of its eight leading scorers from a year ago, including Sammy Fisher, who paced Elon with 37 goals and 44 points. She was a preseason All-CAA pick.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn is the headliner on defense, earning All-CAA honorable mention status in the preseason. She had 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers a year ago.
• MJ Santa Barbara, one of the best in the country in the draw circle, is just a sophomore and earned preseason All-American status by USA Lacrosse. She broke Elon's single-game and single-season draw control record last year, as well as the CAA's single-season draw control mark. Her 8.88 draw controls per game were most in the country for a freshman and ranked No. 7 nationally.

 
PRESEASON AWARDS

• Sophomore MJ Santa Barbara was named honorable mention preseason All-America by USA Lacrosse as a draw control specialist. She is the first Elon player to earn preseason All-America status since Stephanie Asher was named honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse in 2018.
• Senior Sammy Fisher was named to the preseason All-CAA Team as one of five attackers recognized. She led Elon with 37 goals and 44 points, adding 14 ground balls, 16 draw controls and five caused turnovers.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn was named honorable mention preseason All-CAA after leading Elon with 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. She added a program record 11 caused turnovers in conference play and had at least one caused turnover in 11 straight games to open her collegiate career.

 
ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF

• Josh Hexter enters his 12^th season at the helm of the Elon lacrosse program in 2025 as the only head coach in the program's history. He is 79-92 in the first 12 years of the program and has a career head coaching mark of 151-134, which includes a 72-42 record in seven seasons at Bridgewater State.
• Assistant Coach Kelly Dowd is in her first season at Elon after two seasons as an assistant at Connecticut. She is a 2017 graduate of Queens University of Charlotte.
• Assistant Coach Katie Brodsky is also in her first season at Elon and most recently served as the lacrosse program head at Seattle Preparatory School. She is a 2023 graduate of Arizona State.

 
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

• Elon returns three of its top seven goal scorers in program history, along with a wealth of elite statistical talent elsewhere. Listed below are the current student-athletes among the Phoenix's all-time top 10 career leaderboards:

 
Points – 3. Cierra Hopson 117, 4. Sammy Fisher 115, t9. Anna Hackett 71
Goals – 2. Sammy Fisher 97, 4. Cierra Hopson 89, 7. Anna Hackett 64
Assists – 5. Cierra Hopson 28, 8. Sammy Fisher 18, t9. Mia Zebley 17
Shots – 2. Sammy Fisher 233, 3. Cierra Hopson 203, 9. Anna Hackett 139
Free Position Goals – 4. Anna Hackett 22, t9. Cierra Hopson 11, t9. Sammy Fisher 11
Draw Controls – 3. MJ Santa Barbara 151, 4. Sammy Fisher 115
Saves – 2. Caitlin Walsh 276, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 73
Save Percentage – 4. Caitlin Walsh .384, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu .324
GAA – 5. Caitlin Walsh 13.16, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu 14.72
Goalie Minutes – 2. Caitlin Walsh 2015:25, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 619:44
Goalie Wins – 3. Caitlin Walsh 14, t4. Chloe Herghelegiu 4
 
AMONG THE TEAM NATIONAL LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the national top 25 in the following team statistical categories:

 
Fewest Turnovers/Game – 6. 11.33
 
AMONG THE CAA LEADERS

• Elon ranks among the CAA top five in the following team stats and among the top 10 in the following individual stats:

 
Team Rankings
Woman-Down Goals/Game – t2. 0.17
Woman-Up Goals/Game – 5. 1.17
Goals Against Average – 4. 11.14
Caused Turnovers/Game – 4. 8.67
Fewest Turnovers/Game – 1. 11.33
 
Individual Rankings
Shots/Game – 4. Sammy Fisher 6.67
Goals Against Average – 6. Caitlin Walsh 11.52
Save Percentage – 10. Caitlin Walsh .363
Saves/Game – 6. Caitlin Walsh 6.17
Ground Balls/Game – 4. Caitlin Walsh 2.67
Draw Controls/Game – 5. Sammy Fisher 4.67
Caused Turnovers/Game – 5. Jessie Penner 1.67, t6. Reagan Kuehn 1.50