FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Saint Francis women's lacrosse team begins the second half of NEC play looking for a road win and a season sweep of Sacred Heart on Saturday in Fairfield.
 
The Red Flash enters Saturday at 3-3 in a race for NEC postseason spots that currently has Saint Francis tied for the fourth and final conference tournament berth.
 
Saint Francis (3-4, 3-3 NEC) at Sacred Heart (2-5, 2-4 NEC)
Location: Campus Field (Fairfield, Conn.)
Date and Time Saturday, April 3 – 1 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #NECWLAX

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is 2-5 on the year with a 2-4 mark in NEC play. The Pioneers' two victories are a 16-4 win over Central Connecticut and 15-14 comeback to beat Merrimack. SHU was defeated by Wagner 18-12 last Saturday.
 
Lydia Werlau leads Sacred Heart with 18 goals and 22 points. Kerri Metzler (20 points) and Grace Reinold (19) have also served as key contributors to the SHU attack. The Pioneers have faced a 98-69 disadvantage on the draw this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Sacred Heart won all 16 contests between the two teams from 2002-17, but the Red Flash has taken the three most-recent meetings. Saint Francis used a 7-1 second half to come back and defeat the Pioneers March 13 for SFU's first victory of the year. Freshman Danielle Hernandez scored a career-high three goals in the win.
 
LAST TIME OUT: SAINT FRANCIS 21, MERRIMACK 9
Saint Francis matched its program best for goals scored in an NEC contest and broke the Red Flash record for margin of victory in a conference game with a convincing victory last Saturday at DeGol Field.
 
Senior Amanda Heidt scored a career-high six goals in the win, while senior Emileigh Scott added five goals and redshirt senior Livia Baker chipped in with four. Scott contributed 10 draw controls.
 
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Redshirt senior Peyton LeConte has recorded 22 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers in 2021. LeConte's caused turnovers per game average ranks third nationally enters the weekend.
 
Lacrosse Reference's dEGA (Defensive Expected Goals Added) formula, which measures how defensive players' value impacts the scoreboard, has LeConte ninth at 5.4 dEGA through seven games.
 
WEATHER HEATING UP, SCOTT HEATING UP
Senior Emileigh Scott has scored 13 times over her last three games, including a pair of five-goal performances in wins over Central Connecticut and Merrimack. Scott is tied for the league lead in goals per game with 21 over seven games.
 
SUPER SAVER
Junior Elyssa Enrique ranks 15^th nationally in save percentage at .497 through seven games. Enrique has turned aside 10.29 shots per game, which is 13^th in the nation.
 
COYNE AIMING FOR 300 IN 2021
Head coach Tracy Coyne currently stands at 298 career victories, which is ninth all-time among Division I coaches. Coyne and Johns Hopkins' Janine Tucker (297) look to join Northwestern's Kelly Amonte Hiller as coaches to reach 300 wins this season.
 
UP NEXT: WAGNER
Saint Francis welcomes Wagner to DeGol Field for a Wednesday matinee. The Red Flash and Seahawks will square off at 2 p.m. on NEC Front Row. Attendance is limited to the home team pass list and holders of an active Saint Francis University ID.
 
Follow Saint Francis Women's Lacrosse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.