It was the Mackenzie Blackwell from North Beach, Maryland, show at Scicluna Field.
The junior made her presence known early and often, registering the opening goal of the match for the Eagles, four goals in the first half, and five on the day total to lead the attack for Eastern Michigan women’s lacrosse in their 13-8 victory over Detroit Mercy.
Blackwell and the home squad put together an electric opening 30 minutes, one that saw the green and white put up seven goals in the second quarter and boast a 10-2 lead heading into the half that the visiting Titans could never entirely overcome.
The five goals from the Maryland native marked the sixth time in her career she has achieved this feat. Blackwell is now up to 42 goals on the campaign, just seven shy of her single-season career-high mark of 49, set last year.
Tracy Grollman from Annapolis, Maryland, and Emerson Henry, hailing from Ashburn, Ontario, also contributed significant offense for the Eagles. Grollman added two goals and two assists to the stat sheet, while Henry helped with two goals and an additional 11 draw controls.
On top of those three, Kathryn Wilson from Dacula, Georgia, sisters Amber Alderman from Lusby, Maryland, and Abby Alderman, hailing from Lusby, Maryland, along with Roya Khaleeli from Rancho Palo Verdes, California, all found the back of the net once each to help Eastern Michigan carry a 13-3 lead heading into the final period.
The Alderman sisters weren’t the only siblings to compete in this outing. Avery Schwab from Dublin, Ohio, for the Eagles, got the better of her sister Sophia Schwab on the Titans.
Maddie Porter also continued to shine guarding the net. The sophomore posted 11 saves, seven ground balls, and three forced turnovers to spearhead the Eagles’ defensive efforts.
While Detroit Mercy attempted to make a late charge, scoring the last five goals of the match in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late.
With the win, Eastern Michigan finally got on the board in conference play by improving to 6-6 (1-2 MAC), handing Detroit Mercy their first conference loss of the season as they fell to 5-6 (2-1 MAC).
Next time out, the Eagles welcome the Oregon Ducks to town for a big home test against the Big Ten school on April 11 at 3 p.m. Viewers can stream the game live on ESPN+.
