The Elon University women’s lacrosse team finished it’s inaugural run in Rhodes Stadium unbeaten with an 18-7 win over Atlantic Sun Conference opponent Kennesaw State University April 13. This put the Phoenix at a 6-7 record on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
“I think in the first half, we got off to a good start and that helped to carry us through,” Elon head coach Josh Hexter said. “That’s what helped us out the most.”
A lot of action generated from the Elon attack as it outshot Kennesaw State, 45-18, and finished its opportunities in front of goal, tying the team-high for goals scored in a game. Molly Garrigan had a career-high six goals, Anna Vitton and Sydney Hesselbein each netted three goals, while Sloane Kessler finished with two goals and three assists. Emily Bishop, Olivia Fernandez, Kelli Stack and Jane Ruede all posted one goal in the game. The Phoenix also finished 18-of-19 in clear attempts and picked up 24 ground balls.
“Our focus was different this game. We ran freelance instead of a set play where you just work off your teammates,” Garrigan said. “Now, going further into the season, we know each other’s strengths and can play off of those.”
The Phoenix started out strong winning the opening draw and firing one in the back of the net in the first minute of the game. Kessler was the first to strike, followed by a goal from Hesselbein just moments later that put Elon up two goals early on.
At 25:22, Kennesaw State responded with a goal by Emily Collins. The Phoenix was resilient and answered back with the next five goals, from Vitton, Hesselbein and Kessler. With just 4:54 remaining in the half, the Phoenix was ahead 7-1.
Elon held the lead and control of play for the majority of the half. And then with just over two minutes left, a goal by KSU made it a five-point game headed into the half.
Coming out of the break, Garrigan stepped up and led the attack for the Phoenix alongside Vitton, who had a lot of combination play up top. Garrigan scored first at the 28:44 mark on a free position shot.
“Having our coach allow us to freelance off each other has really helped because we are using each other more and working together to bring out our strengths,” Garrigan said.
The Owls kept pressure on the Elon defense, drawing a foul on Elon goalkeeper Rachel Ramirez, which led to a free position shot with an open net. KSU capitalized on the opportunity and cut away at the lead to make it 8-3 with 27:42 left in the half.
“I’d like us to play a little faster and with more confidence,” Hexter said. “We have to bring the same level of energy to every play of the game.”
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the second half, scoring one after the other to make it a 10-5 game in favor of the Phoenix with 18:00 remaining in the game.
Then at the 13-minute mark, Vitton ignited a blaze for the Phoenix attack that rattled off seven goals in eight minutes. Garrigan was relentless in front of goal, scoring four of her own that put the Phoenix up 16-6 with 5:47 remaining. Fernandez finished off the run to put the game at 17-6 at the five-minute mark. KSU answered back with a goal with 2:30 remaining to make it a 10-point game, but it wasn’t going to be enough. The final goal of the game came from Ruede, her first of the season, who capped the game with six seconds remaining, setting Elon on top with a 18-7 final score.
“Our key to winning was hustling throughout the entire game and never giving up,” Garrigan said. “There were some points where we seemed down a little bit and where they got a fast ball. We just answered with another goal and having it on senior day made it ten times better.”
It marked senior day for Bishop, Elon’s lone senior.
“I think everybody really rallied today around Emily, our senior,” Hexter said. “She’s an amazing leader for us on and off the field.”
For Bishop, who scored her fourth goal of the season, the win marked a huge accomplishment for the team.
“It’s unbelievable that it’s our first season and we were able to go undefeated at home,” Bishop said. “We still have so much to grow and so much to do but I think we are just going to keep improving. We always have a great chance at winning.”
The Owls finished 12-of-18 in clear attempts, picked up 18 ground balls and took the advantage at the draw, 15-12. KSU goalie Allison Senft took the loss after allowing five goals in just under 12 minutes of play, while Peyton Murdock finished out the game for the Owls. tallying 11 saves and allowing 13 goals. Ramirez played all 60 minutes between the pipes for Elon and claimed the win, posting a 53.1 save percentage with seven saves off 14 shots on goal by the Owls.
Elon will travel to Washington, D.C. next week to take on the Bison of Howard University in its next A-Sun conference match up at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19.