March 7, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – While most of the students are off enjoying spring break, the Vanderbilt lacrosse team was hard at work Monday night under the lights. The Commodores had a late practice to prepare for another mid-week matchup with a ranked opponent this Wednesday. The ‘Dores will hit the road to take on the No. 16-ranked Elon Phoenix this Wednesday at 5 pm CT.
The Commodores have had over a week off since their 18-8 win over Furman and head coach Cathy Swezey said that time was important to improve on some technical areas.
“We got to work on some small skill work that we felt we needed to work on,” said Swezey. “I felt it was a really productive week and we are looking to be very intense these next few days in preparation for Elon.”
Last time out, the Commodores had an offensive outburst en route to an 18-8 win on the road over the Furman Paladins.
Senior Jill Doherty and junior Kayla Peterson led the offensive attack that scored the most goals since Feb. 15, 2015, against Liberty. Doherty filled up the stat sheet against the Paladins, tallying three goals, four assists, four draw controls, four ground balls and caused two turnovers. Peterson set a career-high in goals for the second time in as many games when she scored six against the Paladins. She also won four draw controls and dished out an assist, which earned her a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
On the back-line, junior Margaret Fee caused a career-high four turnovers, won three draw controls, and dished out two assists on the afternoon. The Commodore defense only allowed three first half goals to the Paladins and as a team, the ‘Dores only turned it over seven times in the win.
Elon is 5-1 heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Commodores. The Phoenix are ranked 16th in the Inside Lacrosse poll this week coming off their 13-12 overtime win at No. 19 Virginia Tech last week. It was their second ranked-win on the season as they defeated No. 13 Virginia 11-10 back on Feb. 11.
“I will compliment their program and their staff because they have a will to win that I don’t think all programs have, especially as young as they are,” Swezey stated. “They are really competitive kids and they know how to get the ball back for their squad. Of course we are preparing for some of the things they do on offense and overall I think they really know how to fight to win games and that’s what they did against Virginia Tech.”
Junior Stephanie Asher and senior Sloane Kessler lead the Phoenix offensively. Asher has a team-high 23 goals, which is currently eighth best in country. Kessler has a team high 11 assists to go with her 11 goals on the season. Defensively, junior Alexa Zadjura leads the team with 12 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. In the cage, Rachel Ramirez has started all six games for the Phoenix. She has 50 saves this year and has allowed 9.84 goals per game.
Wednesday’s game will begin at 5 pm CT and will be broadcast live on Phoenix All-Access. Fans can use the link to the live stream here and select the game from the drop-down menu below. Stay up to date with all things Vanderbilt Lacrosse by following @VanderbiltLax on Twitter and Vanderbilt Women’s Lacrosse on Facebook.