ELON – The Elon women's lacrosse team (4-6) returns to the road Tuesday for its penultimate nonconference game against VCU (8-3) in Richmond, Virginia. The game at Cary Street Field will begin at 1 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled to be Elon's season opener on Feb. 7 but was postponed due to winter weather.

Elon vs. VCU Briefing
Game Details: March 31, 2026 | Richmond, Va. | Cary Street Field | 1 p.m. 
Admission: Free
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Link will be added once made available
Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Numbers To Know 
VCU Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats 
 
The Matchup

• Tuesday will be the sixth matchup between Elon and VCU, with the Phoenix winning four of the previous five.
• The teams met last season on Feb. 22 at Rudd Field, with Elon rolling to a 17-6 victory. Kailey McKenna led all scorers with five goals with Cierra Hopson also netting a hat trick. Addie Gilner and Danielle Swietoniowski both had a pair of goals.
• The Phoenix is 2-0 against the Rams in Richmond, with its last visit coming in 2024. Elon won 12-11 behind a career-high goals from Ana Lee Vandiver.
• Elon's only loss in five meetings against the Rams came in overtime in 2023.

 
About The Phoenix

• The Phoenix is 4-6 this season and 1-2 in CAA play after a 10-9 loss at Drexel on Saturday. Both of Elon's conference losses have come by just one goal. 
• Elon was tabbed to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll behind just Stony Brook, Drexel and Towson.
• Six Phoenix have reached double-digit points on the season – Ana Lee Vandiver (25), Anna Hackett (25), Lizzie Scalzo (19), Lillian Austin (17), Danielle Swietoniowski (12), and Mackenzie Coleman (11). 
• MJ Santa Barbara is second in the CAA with 5.30 draw controls per game. 
• Reagan Kuehn is pacing the Phoenix defense and ranks top 10 in the CAA in both ground balls per game (2.30) and caused turnovers per game (1.60).
• Caitlin Walsh has anchored Elon's net this season, starting all 10 games. She surpassed 400 career saves on March 23 in Elon's game against No. 16 Duke.
• Elon is led by head coach Josh Hexter, who is in his 13th season with the program. He has guided the Phoenix since its inaugural campaign in 2014 and is up to 91 wins leading the maroon and gold.

 
Last Time Out

• Elon lost a heartbreaker at Drexel on Saturday, falling 10-9 to the Dragons in Philadelphia.
• The game was knotted at 4-4 going into halftime, with Hackett scoring a pair of goals and Austin and Coleman adding one apiece.
• Elon took a two-goal lead early in the fourth quarter with Hackett's third goal of the day at the 10:03 mark of the fourth quarter. However, the Dragons quickly answered with two goals to tie the score, 8-8.
• A free position tally by Hackett with 4:29 remaining put the Phoenix back up by one. On the ensuing Drexel possession, Drexel's Teagan Quinn scored with seven seconds left on the shot clock to tie the game, 9-9.
• Vandiver won the next draw control and Elon was given a woman-up chance following a Drexel green card with just under three minutes left. Mia Zebley earned a free position chance during the woman-up opportunity but could not convert on a shot. Scalzo then had a chance denied by Drexel goalkeeper Lucy Dailey as the Dragons took possession entering the final minute and a half.
• A green card by Maddie Engelkraut on the Drexel clear attempt gave the Dragons the advantage and Quinn scored her second straight goal to give Drexel its first lead since early in the third quarter with 46 seconds left in regulation. The Dragons then won the ensuing draw control and ran out the clock to secure a comeback win.
• All three of Elon's CAA games have been decided by one goal this season. This is the first time the Phoenix has ever had three straight CAA games decided by a single goal.
• The Phoenix is now 1-4 away from home this season, with the lone win coming in its season opener at Queens on Feb. 11.

 
Hack Is Back

• After missing the 2025 campaign due to injury, Hackett made her return to the field on Feb. 11 against Queens.
• In her first appearance since April 14, 2024, Hackett started in Elon's midfield and finished with two goals and four points against the Royals.
• Hackett has netted hat tricks in consecutive games against No. 16 Duke and Drexel and is coming off a four-goal effort against the Dragons.
• Hackett also notched hat tricks in four straight games earlier this season against Old Dominion, East Carolina, Virginia Tech and High Point.
• The redshirt junior's six hat tricks are the most on the Phoenix. Her .579 shot percentage is the best on the team.
• Hackett leads the Phoenix with 22 goals this season and her 25 points are tied with Vandiver for the most on the team. 
• The redshirt junior is up to 96 career points and is currently sixth in program history. She needs four points against VCU to become the sixth Phoenix to reach 100 career points. 
• Hackett's 22 goals this season have also moved her up to fifth in program history in career goals (86). She is just five behind Sloane Kessler for the fourth most. 
• With 2.20 goals per game, Hackett currently ranks sixth among CAA scorers.

 
 
Ana Lee-ding The Way

• Vandiver is tied with Hackett for a team-best 25 points this season (18g, 7a) and is second on the team in goals. 
• The redshirt junior is tied with Scalzo for the team lead in assists. She has an assist in six of 10 games this season.
• Vandiver had her best scoring outing of the season against High Point on March 5, netting five goals, one shy of her career best. The five goals against the Panthers were tied with Scalzo for the most by a Phoenix in a game this season.
• Vandiver has two five-plus point games this season, as she also had a three-goal, two-assist outing against Old Dominion.
• Vandiver has four hat tricks this season, with her most recent coming on March 23 against No. 16 Duke. The Phoenix is 3-1 this season when Vandiver scores three or more goals.
• Vandiver is up to 95 career points, the seventh most in program history and just one behind Hackett in their race to 100 points.
• The attacker leads the Phoenix with 44 shot attempts this season. She has combined for 20 shots in the last three games.

 
 
Mack Attack

• Coleman has blossomed into a dynamic scoring threat for the Phoenix in recent weeks, netting all 11 of her goals this season in the last six games.
• The junior has hat tricks in two of the last three games against Monmouth and No. 16 Duke, the first time in her career she netted three or more goals in consecutive outings.
• Coleman's three goals in the win over Monmouth on March 20 were her most against a CAA opponent. She tied Scalzo for the team lead in Elon's conference victory over the Hawks.
• With her seven goals in the last three games, Coleman became the fifth Phoenix player to reach double-digit goals on the season.
• Coleman has scored on 11-of-21 shot attempts this season. Ten of the 21 shots have come in the last three games.
• Coleman is tied with Hackett and Scalzo for the most goals by a Phoenix in conference play (5).
• Coleman's current six-game goal scoring streak is her longest since 2024, when she went seven consecutive games with a goal as a freshman. Her current streak is the second longest active stretch for the Phoenix behind just Austin (9).

 

Sophomore Scoring Duo

• Austin and Swietoniowski are both building on strong rookie campaigns in their sophomore seasons this spring.
• The sophomores are two of six Elon players to reach double-digit points this season.
• Austin has scored a goal in nine straight games, the longest active scoring streak on the Phoenix and the longest goal scoring streak of her career. She has scored in all nine games she has appeared in this season.
• Austin is third on the Phoenix with 13 goals after notching a tally against Drexel on Saturday. Four of Austin's goals have come in CAA play, including two against Hofstra on March 14.
• Swietoniowski was the only Phoenix to score a goal in Elon's first six games this season, racking up 12 points in those contests. The sophomore netted a hat trick in a win against Old Dominion on Feb. 14.
• Both Austin and Swietoniowski have scored three free position goals, tied for the third most on the Phoenix.
• Austin's 15 points in CAA play last season were tied for the third most by an Elon freshman in a single season, while Swietoniowski was close behind with 13 points in conference games.
• Austin and Swietoniowski both registered six assists in CAA play, tied for the third most in a conference season by freshmen in program history.
• Both Swietoniowski (22) and Austin (21) surpassed 20 points in their freshman seasons and were two of seven Phoenix to do so in 2025.

 

MJ The History Maker

• Entering her junior season, Santa Barbara was already Elon's all-time leader in career draw controls and has re-written the Phoenix record books in several categories.
• With 313 career draw controls in her 38 career games, Santa Barbara is 118 clear of second place in program history. She has the top two single season draw control totals in program history with 151 in 2024 and 109 in 2025.
• She has also set the top two marks in program history for draw controls in a conference season, with 73 in CAA games in 2024 and 72 in 2025. The next highest total in a season is 35.
• With Santa Barbara on the draw, Elon has set new team records for draw controls in a season. The Phoenix secured a program-record 283 draw controls in 2024, Santa Barbara's freshman campaign, before accruing 255 in 2025, Santa Barbara's sophomore campaign. Those are the top two totals in program history, smashing the previous record of 231 set in 2022.
• Santa Barbara has also turned in the top five single game draw control efforts in program history, highlighted by her program-best 16 last season against Queens.
• Santa Barbara's 9.29 career draw controls per game were the third most in NCAA history entering this season.
• Santa Barbara has secured double-digit draw controls in 14-of-38 career games.
• The junior is second in the CAA this season with 5.30 draw controls per game.
• In addition to her prowess in the draw circle, Santa Barbara has become a steady scoring threat in 2026. The junior scored a goal in each of Elon's first four games this season, the longest goal-scoring streak of her career.

 
 
Chaos Coordinators

• Elon's defensive corps of Kuehn, Eliza Ritter, Mimi Economus and Jessie Penner have wreaked havoc on opposing offenses this season.
• Kuehn leads the Phoenix with 16 caused turnovers, with Penner (13) and Ritter (11) second and third on the team, respectively.
• Economus, Penner and Ritter all led the Phoenix with three caused turnovers in the win over Monmouth on March 20. The Phoenix forced 16 of Monmouth's 21 turnovers in a crucial CAA victory.
• Kuehn and Penner have both surpassed 50 caused turnovers this season. Kuehn is third in program history with 63 caused turnovers, with Penner's 53 ranking fifth in Phoenix history. 
• Kuehn caused four turnovers in Elon's CAA opener against Hofstra on March 14, one short of her career high.
• Kuehn is pacing the Phoenix with 23 ground balls. The junior has moved up Elon's all-time ranks in ground balls this season, as she is now fifth in program history with 91. 
• Penner is also top 10 in Elon's history with 72 ground balls. She is just four away from surpassing Quinn Daly for eighth in the program's all-time standings.
• Economus has already set new career highs in both caused turnovers (6) and ground balls (9).
• Ritter has forced five turnovers in Elon's last three games after going four straight outings prior without one.
• Elon has allowed just 110 goals this season, the third fewest among CAA teams. Only Stony Brook (88) and Drexel (109) have conceded fewer.

 
 
Sensational Scalzo

• In her freshman campaign, Scalzo is third on the Phoenix with 19 points (12g, 7a).
• Scalzo leads the Phoenix with eight points in three CAA games. No other Elon player has more than five points in conference play.
• With seven assists this season, Scalzo is tied with Vandiver for the most on the Phoenix. The rookie has multiple assists on three occasions this season.
• Scalzo matched her career high with five points in Elon's CAA victory against Monmouth on March 20. The freshman had three goals, including the game winner, to go along with a pair of assists.
• The rookie tied for a game-high five goals in her collegiate debut on Feb. 11 against Queens. The freshman scored a first-half hat trick before scoring two more goals, including the game winner, after the break.
• Scalzo became the first Elon freshman to score five goals in her debut game since Stephanie Asher also scored five on Jan. 31, 2015, against Kennesaw State.
• The five goals by the rookie were also the most by any Phoenix freshman in a game since Vandiver had six against VCU on Feb. 17, 2024, as a redshirt freshman and the most by an Elon true freshman since Margaret Stephan netted five against Radford on March 7, 2021.
• The freshman has points in seven of 10 games this season, only being held scoreless in Elon's games against ACC opponents. 

 

Brick Wall-sh

• Walsh has become a mainstay in net for the Phoenix, starting 56 career games in four seasons with the program, including each of the last 52 contests. 
• Walsh became the second goalie in program history to surpass 400 career saves on March 23 against Duke, joining Rachel Ramirez.
• Walsh has made 100-plus saves in each of her first three seasons with the Phoenix and ranks second in program history in career saves (411).
• The senior was named to the All-CAA Tournament Team last season. She made a season-high 12 saves in the CAA semifinals against Stony Brook.
• Walsh earned her first CAA Defensive Player of the Week honor last season on April 21 for her 10 saves and seven ground balls in wins against Towson and Queens.
• Walsh is second in program history with 24 career victories.
• Walsh has 64 saves this season and made a season-best 11 stops against No. 11 Notre Dame on March 10.

 
 
Scouting VCU

• The Rams are 8-3 this season and carry a four-game winning streak into Tuesday.
• The winning streak began on March 14 and features A-10 victories over St. Bonaventure, Davidson, La Salle and George Washington. Three of the four wins have come away from home.
• The Rams have won four of six home games this season, with the only losses coming against Charlotte and Richmond.
• VCU has the third best scoring defense in the A-10, surrendering just 97 goals through its first 11 contests.
• Sam Palmer leads the Rams with 31 goals this season. She is second on the team with 35 points.
• Rachel Koeneke is pacing VCU with 43 points. She leads the Rams with 20 assists and ranks top 10 in the A-10 in assists per game. Koeneke is also second among VCU goal scorers with 23 on the season.
• Kenson Epperly (15), Molly O'Keefe (14), Amiela Eilbacher (11) and Kiley Kozak (10) have also reached double-digit goals for the Rams on the season. Epperly and O'Keefe each have 10 assists.
• Katie Bornyek has a team-high 18 caused turnovers and is second on the Rams with 23 ground balls. Goalkeeper Lu Doyen is pacing VCU with 25 ground balls, with Ally Schromsky ranking No. 3 on the team with 19 to her name.
• Lakelyn Bostian is VCU's leader in the draw circle with 44 draw controls on the campaign.
• Doyen has started all 11 games in goal for the Rams and has made 54 saves while boasting a .375 save percentage.
• The Rams are led by fourth-year head coach Nicole Flores.

 
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