Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, February 15
Pittsburgh, Pa.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
0-2, 0-0MAC
13
at
16
Duquesne
1-1, 0-0 A-10
1
2
3
4
F
EMU
4
4
3
2
13
Duquesne
2
5
5
4
16
Lacrosse Falls in Back-And-Forth Game at Duquesne, 16-13
2/15/2024 6:19:00 PM | Lacrosse
Program-record seven Eagles scored at least one goal with Blackwell’s four leading the way
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team fell short of victory in a high-paced, back-and-forth game at Duquesne University, Thursday, Feb. 15, as the host Dukes scored four goals in the fourth quarter to take the final lead and hand the Eagles a 16-13 loss at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Eagles (0-2), who were in search of the program's first win on the road, saw a program-record-tying eight players record at least one point and seven score at least one goal, but it was not enough to down the Dukes (1-1) on their home turf.
How It Happened
The Eagles responded throughout much of the contest with timely goals as Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) scored their first goals of the game to tie things up. Blackwell then scored again with 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter before Dague tallied her second with 11 seconds left to stake the Eagles to a 4-2 lead at the end of the first.
With their first lead held this season, the Eagles came out in the second and scored for two more as Kyleigh Dill (Dover, Del./Dover) scored the first two goals of her career to push the EMU advantage to 6-2 after the Eagles scored four times in the span of 1:37. But, the game of runs continued with the Dukes scoring four consecutive goals to knot things at 6-6 before Sydney Lawrence (Plano, Texas/Plano East/Oregon) lit the lamp for her first of the season. After the hosts tied it up one minute later, the Eagles found a way to take the lead back as Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) hit a slick shot in front of a dish from Lawrence to see the visitors up, 8-7, at the break.
The first half of the third quarter saw the Eagles build a two-goal lead and try to protect with Grollman putting EMU ahead, 9-7, early in the third. The Aldermans connect to restore to the two-goal lead as Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) found Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) in front of the cage to make it 10-8. Blackwell collected her hat trick at 10:47 on a pass from Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) to restore the two-goal advantage, but the Dukes closed the quarter on a three-goal run to take a 12-11 lead into the fourth.
After tying things at 12-12 on a free-position goal from Abby Alderman, Duquesne scored four consecutive goals while keeping the EMU attack at bay to build a 16-12 lead before Blackwell, on a pass from Lawrence, scored with nine seconds remaining to bring the final score to 16-13.
Game Notes
» Eastern fell to 0-2 on the season while Duquesne improved to 1-1.
» Mackenzie Blackwell reset her own school record as she tallied 12 draw controls in the game. Her previous record was 10, which she recorded twice in 2023: at Butler, March 26, 2023; and at Youngstown State, April 8, 2023.
» Mackenzie Blackwell recorded four goals to mark her first hat trick of the season and the first by any member of the team in 2024. Her four goals tied for the fifth-most in a single game in EMU history. Two of her goals came in woman-up situations, tying for the second-most in program history.
» Four players recorded at least four points in the game with Mackenzie Blackwell's five (four goals, one assist) leading the way, a total that ties for the fifth-most in a game. Abby Alderman (one goal, three assists), Kelsea Dague (two each), and Sydney Lawrence (one goal, three assists) all tallied four points, which ties for the 10th-most in a program history and marks the second game in a row Dague has scored two goals and dished two assists.
» Three Eagles dished out multiple assists to rank among the single-game top-10 at EMU. Both Abby Alderman and Sydney Lawrence handed out three assists, which ties for the second-most in a single contest while Kelsea Dague added two helpers for the sixth-best total in a game.
» Kyleigh Dill, in her first game of the season, scored back-to-back goals for the Eagles, marking the first two goals of her career. The sophomore saw action in seven games in 2023 and recorded one point on an assist vs. Delaware State (March 7).
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) recorded the first statistics of her collegiate career after earning her second start in as many games this season. She finished the game with two caused turnovers, one ground ball, and one draw control.
» Roya Khaleeli (Rancho Palo Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula), who recorded four draw controls for the second game in a row, earned her first collegiate start.
» Ally Moore (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon Regional) made her first collegiate appearance in the second half while both Kyleigh Dill and Emaly Garrett (Willowstreet, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) both logged their first appearances of 2024.
Historical Notes
» Today's game was the first between the Eagles and Dukes.
» With the loss, the Eagles are still in search of their first road victory in program history. Eastern finished its inaugural season (2023) with an 0-8 mark away from home and has fallen in its first two road games of 2024 as well.
» Eastern recorded a program-record 26 draw controls, surpassing the 23 it recorded April 29, 2023. The 26 controls also mark just the fourth time in program history the Eagles have won 20+ draw controls in a single game.
» The Eagles tied three other program records, including having seven different players score at least one goal (fourth time), eight different players tally at least one point (second time), and the team recording 10 assists (second time).
» Five players handed out at least one assist, which ties for the second-most in a single game in EMU history while 23 points and four woman-up goals scored also tie for second.
» The team's 13 goals and five consecutive goals scored (first quarter into the second quarter) rank as the third-best in EMU history.
Up Next
An East Coast double dip awaits the Eagles as they are set to play at both Howard University and Delaware State University next week. EMU will first travel to Washington, D.C., for a noon opening draw with the Bison, Feb. 25. The road trip closes Feb. 28 with a noon opening draw in Dover, Del., against the Hornets.
How It Happened
The Eagles responded throughout much of the contest with timely goals as Kelsea Dague (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Mackenzie Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) scored their first goals of the game to tie things up. Blackwell then scored again with 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter before Dague tallied her second with 11 seconds left to stake the Eagles to a 4-2 lead at the end of the first.
With their first lead held this season, the Eagles came out in the second and scored for two more as Kyleigh Dill (Dover, Del./Dover) scored the first two goals of her career to push the EMU advantage to 6-2 after the Eagles scored four times in the span of 1:37. But, the game of runs continued with the Dukes scoring four consecutive goals to knot things at 6-6 before Sydney Lawrence (Plano, Texas/Plano East/Oregon) lit the lamp for her first of the season. After the hosts tied it up one minute later, the Eagles found a way to take the lead back as Tracy Grollman (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis Area Christian School) hit a slick shot in front of a dish from Lawrence to see the visitors up, 8-7, at the break.
The first half of the third quarter saw the Eagles build a two-goal lead and try to protect with Grollman putting EMU ahead, 9-7, early in the third. The Aldermans connect to restore to the two-goal lead as Abby Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) found Amber Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) in front of the cage to make it 10-8. Blackwell collected her hat trick at 10:47 on a pass from Avery Schwab (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin-Scioto) to restore the two-goal advantage, but the Dukes closed the quarter on a three-goal run to take a 12-11 lead into the fourth.
After tying things at 12-12 on a free-position goal from Abby Alderman, Duquesne scored four consecutive goals while keeping the EMU attack at bay to build a 16-12 lead before Blackwell, on a pass from Lawrence, scored with nine seconds remaining to bring the final score to 16-13.
Game Notes
» Eastern fell to 0-2 on the season while Duquesne improved to 1-1.
» Mackenzie Blackwell reset her own school record as she tallied 12 draw controls in the game. Her previous record was 10, which she recorded twice in 2023: at Butler, March 26, 2023; and at Youngstown State, April 8, 2023.
» Mackenzie Blackwell recorded four goals to mark her first hat trick of the season and the first by any member of the team in 2024. Her four goals tied for the fifth-most in a single game in EMU history. Two of her goals came in woman-up situations, tying for the second-most in program history.
» Four players recorded at least four points in the game with Mackenzie Blackwell's five (four goals, one assist) leading the way, a total that ties for the fifth-most in a game. Abby Alderman (one goal, three assists), Kelsea Dague (two each), and Sydney Lawrence (one goal, three assists) all tallied four points, which ties for the 10th-most in a program history and marks the second game in a row Dague has scored two goals and dished two assists.
» Three Eagles dished out multiple assists to rank among the single-game top-10 at EMU. Both Abby Alderman and Sydney Lawrence handed out three assists, which ties for the second-most in a single contest while Kelsea Dague added two helpers for the sixth-best total in a game.
» Kyleigh Dill, in her first game of the season, scored back-to-back goals for the Eagles, marking the first two goals of her career. The sophomore saw action in seven games in 2023 and recorded one point on an assist vs. Delaware State (March 7).
» Karly Low (Owen Sound, Ontario/Owen Sound District Secondary) recorded the first statistics of her collegiate career after earning her second start in as many games this season. She finished the game with two caused turnovers, one ground ball, and one draw control.
» Roya Khaleeli (Rancho Palo Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula), who recorded four draw controls for the second game in a row, earned her first collegiate start.
» Ally Moore (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon Regional) made her first collegiate appearance in the second half while both Kyleigh Dill and Emaly Garrett (Willowstreet, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) both logged their first appearances of 2024.
Historical Notes
» Today's game was the first between the Eagles and Dukes.
» With the loss, the Eagles are still in search of their first road victory in program history. Eastern finished its inaugural season (2023) with an 0-8 mark away from home and has fallen in its first two road games of 2024 as well.
» Eastern recorded a program-record 26 draw controls, surpassing the 23 it recorded April 29, 2023. The 26 controls also mark just the fourth time in program history the Eagles have won 20+ draw controls in a single game.
» The Eagles tied three other program records, including having seven different players score at least one goal (fourth time), eight different players tally at least one point (second time), and the team recording 10 assists (second time).
» Five players handed out at least one assist, which ties for the second-most in a single game in EMU history while 23 points and four woman-up goals scored also tie for second.
» The team's 13 goals and five consecutive goals scored (first quarter into the second quarter) rank as the third-best in EMU history.
Up Next
An East Coast double dip awaits the Eagles as they are set to play at both Howard University and Delaware State University next week. EMU will first travel to Washington, D.C., for a noon opening draw with the Bison, Feb. 25. The road trip closes Feb. 28 with a noon opening draw in Dover, Del., against the Hornets.
Team Stats
EMU
DUQ
Shots
20
31
Turnovers
33
15
Caused Turnovers
9
25
Draw Controls
26
7
Free-Position Shots
3
7
Ground Balls
15
28
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
1
G
2
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Lacrosse
A
/ LacrosseM
/ LacrosseM
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
D
/ LacrosseA
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
A
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