High Point, N.C. – Elon sophomore specialist MJ Santa Barbara tied her own school record with 15 draw controls in a game, but the Phoenix women's lacrosse team lost to High Point 17-15 Wednesday evening.
 
Santa Barbara, a preseason All-American after breaking the CAA record for draw controls in a season in 2024, missed Elon's first six games of the season due to injury. But she returned with a bang Wednesday, earning 15 draw controls to equal the program record she set a year ago against Monmouth.
 
Offensively, Sammy Fisher had four goals in the game to become just the second player in Elon program history with 100 career goals. She ended the contest with 101 goals.
 
With the loss in the back-and-forth affair, Elon falls to 3-4 on the season. High Point improves to 2-4 with the victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Elon and High Point combined for seven goals in the first 5:17 of the game. For the Phoenix, Cierra Hopson, Sammy Fisher and Lillian Austin each scored unassisted goals as Elon went ahead 3-2. But High Point scored four in a row to go ahead 6-3.
• Elon trimmed the lead down to one by the end of the first with goals from Fisher and Mia Zebley. Austin assisted on Fisher's goal and it was 6-5 after one period.
• Fisher got the hat trick and her 100^th career goal early in the second period on a pass from Ana Lee Vandiver. That score tied that game at 6-6 but High Point returned the favor with three straight goals for a 9-6 lead.
• Then it became Elon's turn for a three-goal flurry as Danielle Swietoniowski, Vandiver and Hopson scored in succession. Hopson assisted on Vandiver's goal and Lila Ceribelli assisted on Hopson's as the game was tied at 9-9. High Point took a 10-9 lead into the break on a goal with just 24 seconds remaining.
• Elon seemed to take control of the contest with another set of three goals to open the third quarter. Fisher picked up her fourth score of the day on another Vandiver assist, while Ceribelli and Addie Gilner each scored for a 12-10 lead.
• After High Point cut the deficit in half, Zebley scored again for the 13-11 lead. But High Point scored twice in the final 3:01 of the third to tie the score at 13-13.
• Austin started the scoring in the fourth off of a pass from Fisher to give Elon its final lead of the game at 14-13.
• After High Point scored twice, Elon tied it on another Zebley goal with 4:01 to go.
• The Panthers scored just 48 seconds later to take the lead and then iced the game on a goal with 42 seconds left.

 
STATS AND NOTES

• MJ Santa Barbara's 15 draw controls helped Elon to a 23-11 advantage in the draw circle. Between the second and third quarters, Elon won 14-of-15 draw controls.
• Santa Barbara's 15 draw controls are the most in the CAA in a game this year. She now holds the three highest single-game draw control totals in a game in program history.
• With 101 goals, Sammy Fisher is just the second player in program history with at least 100 goals, joining Stephanie Asher (179 goals from 2015-18). Cierra Hopson now sits at 91 career goals and could become the third player in Elon history with 100 goals.
• Mia Zebley had her first hat trick of the season with exactly three goals. It is her third career hat trick.
• Five different players had at least three points Fisher led with five points, while Ana Lee Vandiver, Hopson, Lillian Austin and Zebley each had three.
• Reagan Kuehn had a career-high five caused turnovers and four ground balls. She has at least one caused turnover in every game this year and a team-best 14 on the season. Just a sophomore, she already ranks seventh in career ground balls at Elon with 38.
• Elon outshot High Point 36-31 and 29-26 on goal.
• The Phoenix had 18 turnovers, two more than High Point. The Panthers held a 24-16 advantage in ground balls and was 8-of-12 on free-position shots.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon begins conference play Saturday, playing at Monmouth at noon.