Saturday, March 18 | at LIU | Brookville, N.Y. | Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium | 1 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

CAREER HIGHS

OPENING DRAW 
Saturday's game between Saint Francis and LIU marks the 19th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2003 season. The Sharks lead the series 12-6 including four-straight wins and a 7-1 record in the Empire State. LIU defeated the Red Flash last year 11-7, while the Red Flash's last win in the series was an 18-9 win in 2018.

THE WORD ON LIU
The Sharks come into the contest 2-6 overall after falling 20-14 to Bryant on March 11. Hannah Kenneally fuels the team with five goals and 17 assists for 22 points. Lluna Katz is second on the team with 19 tallies and one assist for 20 points, while Julia Trainor is third on the team with 10 tallies and two assists for 12 points. Trainor also powers the team in ground balls (13) and ranks second in draw controls (22) and caused turnovers (6). Lily Bilello has 48 saves, a 12.15 goals against average and a .360 save percentage.

LAST TIME WE MET
After Saint Francis led 3-1 after the first quarter, LIU rallied for an 11-7 win on March 26, 2022. Danielle Hernandez had two tallies and an assist, while Catherine Russo also found the twine twice for the Red Flash. Amanda Masullo led the Sharks with three goals and one assist, while Whitney Moran and Hannah Kenneally each had a pair of goals. Elyssa Enrique registered a then career-high 18 saves for Saint Francis, and Hailey Duchnowski registered eight saves for LIU.

LAST TIME OUT
Stetson scored the game-winning goal with 16 seconds left to down Saint Francis 14-13 on Tuesday. Elyssa Enrique tied the single-game program record with 24 saves on the afternoon. Autumn McHenry paced the Red Flash with career-high five goals and an assist along with seven draw controls. Julia Givens notched a career-best four tallies, while Danielle Hernandez registered a career-high in assists (4) and points (6) on the afternoon.

NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis will return to DeGol Field for its NEC home opener against Sacred Heart on March 25.

NEC OPENERS
Saint Francis is 3-17 in NEC openers in program history. The Red Flash have registered a win in the inaugural league game of the year in 2010, 2014 and 2017. Both the 2010 and 2014 wins were at home and in overtime, while the win in 2017 was the only time the team has started 1-0 in NEC play on the road. The Loretto program will be facing LIU in the NEC opener for the second-straight year and the third time in program history. The Red Flash is 1-1 against the Sharks in the first league game of the year with a 10-9 victory to start the 2014 season and an 11-7 loss last season. 

IN THE NEC AND THE NATION
Graduate student Elyssa Enrique leads the NEC in goals against average (9.16), save percentage (.595) and saves per game (12.00). Through play on March 15, the graduate student also led NCAA Division I in save percentage and saves per game, while ranking 16th in saves (66) and 19th in the nation in goals against average

Graduate student Autumn McHenry is second in the NEC in goals per game (2.50), fifth in assists per game (1.00), second in points per game (3.50), seventh in ground balls per game (2.00), sixth in shots per game (5.50), fifth in draw controls per game (3.83) and 10th in caused turnovers per game (1.33). Junior Danielle Hernandez is fourth in assists (1.17) and fifth in points (2.83). Senior Kelly Dickson ranks fifth in the league in assists per game (1.00). Sophomore Chyler Espino sits fifth in ground balls per game (2.60) and eighth in caused turnovers per game (1.40). Freshman Bella Fisher is third in shots per game (6.17) and fifth in draw controls per game (3.83). 

As a team, the Red Flash leads the NEC in goals per game (11.17), assists per game (5.00), points per game (16.17), goals against average (10.01), saves per game (13.33), save percentage (.571) and shots on goal (20.50). In the nation, the team leads the nation in save percentage and ranks ninth in scoring defense (goals against average), 78th in assists per game and 95th in points per game and 97th in scoring offense (goals per game)

WHAT A START
With its 4-2 start, Saint Francis is off to its best start in program history. Win or lose, the team would still be off to its best start in program history at 5-2 or 4-3. The 2010, 2017 and 2018 squads started the year 4-3 for the previous best mark in program history. The Loretto program has also won four of its last five for the fourth time in program history (2010, 2018, 2021). In 2021, the Red Flash won back-to-back twice sandwiched in between a loss. Saint Francis also won the season opener for the second time in team history (2016).

NEC HONORS
Saint Francis has earned a major award for the each of the three weeks it has been playing this season and have earned five major awards after receiving a program-record seven honors last season. It is the third time in program history the squad has won two of the three awards in a single week.

Graduate student Autumn McHenry was honored for the second time this season with her first career NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor for the week of March 6-12. Freshman Bella Fisher was named the NEC Rookie of the Week, while senior Kelly Dickson joined the duo as Prime Performers. McHenry registered three assists, six draw controls, five ground balls and two caused turnovers in a 12-9 win against Kent State. Fisher registered five goals in the win against Kent State, including four of the first seven Red Flash goals. Dickson tallied a career-high three goals and an assist for four points, along with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

The Red Flash swept the NEC weekly awards for the first time in program history for the week of February 27-March 5. Junior Danielle Hernandez was named the NEC Player of the Week, graduate student Elyssa Enrique was tabbed as the NEC Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Julia Givens was selected as the NEC Rookie of the Week for the week of February 27-March 5. Hernandez and Enrique were also named NEC Prime Performers along with McHenry. Hernandez registered four goals and an assist in a 2-0 week for the Red Flash and was pivotal in both wins, while Enrique had 24 saves, a 6.42 goals against average and a .667 save percentage in the two games in 111:12 minutes of work. Givens posted four goals and an assist and was the catalyst to a pair of wins for the Red Flash in the week and McHenry had a pair of goals in both games.

McHenry was named the NEC Player of the Week for the week of February 20-26 after registering six goals and two assists for eight points, four draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. McHenry and Dickson were also named NEC Prime Performers. Dickson registered two goals and three assists for five points and added four ground balls, four caused turnovers and three draw controls. 

MILESTONE ALERT
Graduate student Autumn McHenry has moved into third place in program history in draw controls (178) and needs 22 to cross the 200-draw control mark. McHenry moved into second place by herself in career assists with 64 helpers thanks to three helpers against Kent State on March 10 and needs 12 assists to tie the program record. The redshirt senior is fourth in points (157) and can move into the Top-3 (160) with three points. With her four goals in the season-opener McHenry also moved into the Top-9 for career goals and currently sits at 93 tallies. She can move into sixth place with two goals and can become the sixth player in team history with 100 markers with seven tallies.  

Graduate student Elyssa Enrique ranks third in program history in saves with 442. The graduate student became the third player to reach 400 saves with her third save in the first quarter against Delaware State on March 5. Samantha Morgan is in second place on the all-time list with 578 saves. The graduate student also tied the single-game program record with 24 saves against Stetson on March 14.

HATTIES
Freshman Bella Fisher notched a career-high five goals against Kent State on March 10 after registering four goals against Delaware State on March 5. Bella Fisher finished the game one off the program record for goals in a game for freshman with her five tallies on Friday. Chelsea Kent holds the freshman record with six scores against Niagara (March 12, 2009) and against Howard (March 18, 2009), which also sits tied for ninth on the single-game charts. Bella Fisher is the first freshman with a handful of goals since Emileigh Scott registered five markers against Robert Morris on April 13, 2018. Bella Fisher is the third player to score five times in a game under head coach Tracy Coyne, joining Scott (five times) and Amanda Heidt (four times). 

Graduate student Autumn McHenry also had a four-goal game against Longwood in the season opener on February 22 and then a career-best five tallies against Stetson on March 14. Fellow freshman Julia Givens has two hat tricks this season and a career-high four markers against Stetson, while senior Kelly Dickson, junior Danielle Hernandez and freshman Brooke Lacey also have a hat tricks this season. McHenry leads the team with eight hat tricks, while Hernandez, Lizzie Fisher and Givens each have a hat trick of hat tricks. Bella Fisher has a pair of hatties, while Dickson notched her first career three-goal game against Kent State.

COLLEGIATE DEBUT
Freshmen Bella Fisher, Bella Burke and Julia Givens each made their collegiate debut in the starting lineup against Longwood on February 22. Brooke Lacey and Mak Patten both made their first collegiate appearance. Fisher (two goals), Givens (three goals) and Patten (one assist) each had their first collegiate point in the match against the Lancers. CeCe Newman made her collegiate debut against Lehigh on February 25 and made six saves.

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN
Graduate student Autumn McHenry and senior Kelly Dickinson have been named captains for the 2023 season. McHenry was also a captain in 2022.

Senior Bella Barnard, senior Lizzie Fisher, sophomore Chyler Espino and junior Holly Jones have been named to the lacrosse leadership council.

RETURNING ALL-NEC PERFORMERS
Redshirt senior Autumn McHenry returns after nabbing her first All-NEC first-team honor in 2022. She was also selected to the 2021 All-NEC second team and the 2018 All-Rookie team. Junior Danielle Hernandez was named to the All-NEC Rookie team in 2021.

WELCOME TO THE LO'
Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne has added six freshmen to the 2023 roster. CeCe Newman, Mak Patten, Bella Fisher, Brooke Lacey, Bella Burke and Julia Givens all joined the team this season. In addition, assistant coach Morgan Gott comes to Loretto after serving as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan.

FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
Saint Francis has three players that hail from Canada in sophomores Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) and Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario) and freshman Mak Patten (Welland, Ontario) on its roster. Head coach Tracy Coyne also spend some time as the Canadian National Team head coach from 1999-2005 and earned fourth-place standings in the 2001 and 2005 World Cups.

ABOUT THE COACH
Head coach Tracy Coyne enters her fourth season at Saint Francis and her 34th campaign in her legendary career. She holds a 306-214 career record to be one of 27 coaches in the NCAA with at least 250 wins, and became one of 20 coaches to reach 300 wins with the 10-6 win at Akron on February 27, 2022. She has led 12 teams to the NCAA Tournament between the NCAA DI and DIII levels with six conference championships and several NCAA Final Four appearances.