Thursday, February 22 | at Rider | Lawrenceville, N.J. | Ben Cohen Field | 1 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

OPENING DRAW 
Saint Francis continues its road trip when it travels to face first-year program Rider on Thursday. It will be the 18th meeting against a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent and Saint Francis will be looking for its first win against the league since defeating Niagara 10-8 in 2011.  

THE WORD ON RIDER
The Broncs, who will play its first-ever home game on Thursday, come into the contest 1-0 after earning the program's first-ever win with a 19-7 decision against second-year program FDU on February 10. Kate Walsh paced Rider with five goals and two assists for seven points. Anna Devlin added four tallies and an assist for five points, while Emily Wesoky posted two goals and two assists for four points. Walsh, Devlin, Selena Carrington and Hayley Henderson each had a team-high three draw controls.Jamie Kubach made seven saves in 45 minutes of work.

LAST TIME OUT 
The Saint Francis women's lacrosse team made some history on Friday night in its season opener at Oregon. It was the first time in team history the Red Flash faced a Power-5 Conference team, and the Loretto school battled the Ducks for 60 minutes, falling 17-7. Sophomore Julia Givens notched a hat trick, while senior Danielle Hernandez registered four points on a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Sophomore Bella Fisher added a tally and a helper, and Lizzie Fisher also found the net. Junior Taylor Coughlin made 10 saves in her first collegiate start.

NEXT TIME OUT 
Saint Francis will make its 2024 home debut against former Northeast Conference fo Robert Morris on February 28. 

START TO THE SEASON
Saint Francis looks to start the season 1-1 for the sixth time in team history and for the second-straight season. The Red Flash started the season 1-0 in 2016 and 2023 and lost the second match of the year, while in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2017 the team rebounded from an opening-season loss with a win to even its record to 1-1. 

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN 
Graduate student Lizzie Fisher, senior Danielle Hernandez and junior Chyler Espino have been named captains for thte 2024 campaign. The trio along with junior Collen Roche and sophomore Bella Fisher will serve as members of the Women's Lacrosse Leadership Council

RETURNING ALL-NEC PERFORMERS 
Sophomore Bella Fisher was named the 2023 NEC Rookie of the Year to become the first Red Flash player to earn the recognition. She also earned All-NEC second-team recognition. Junior Chyler Espino was named to the All-NEC first team, while senior Danielle Hernandez was selected to the second team. Fisher and sophomore Bella Burke were named to the NEC All-Rookie team. 

WELCOME TO THE LO' 
Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne has added four freshmen and ne junior to the 2024 roster. Junior Victoria DiRenno comes to Loretto after playing two seasons at Niagara. Freshmen Kylie Fischer, Jacks Lesmeister, Elizabeth Mahmud and Molly Riva all joined the squad this season.

FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH 
Saint Francis has three players that hail from Canada. Juniors Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) and Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario) and sophomore 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. 

CHYLER'S WORLD TOUR 
Junior Chyler Espino played in two international tournaments since the 2023 season ended with Team Philippines. The junior played in the World Lacrosse Festival over the summer in California and then played in the Super Sixes Tournament in December in Hong Kong. Espino was joined in the Super Sixes Tournament by former teammate Elyssa Enrique.

PLAYER TO WATCH 
Sophomore Bella Fisher was named a Second Year Player to Watch by US Lacrosse Magazine. She had a Red Flash freshman record for goals (42) and points (48). The 42 goals were the ninth most by any class in single-season program history. Fisher scored six goals twice last season (CCSU on April 15, 2023, and St. Bonaventure), which ranks 10th on the single-game chart in program history. The sophomore, who received the NEC Rookie of the Week honor four times to become just the fourth player in NEC history to turn that trick, scored at least six goals in a game six times in her freshman campaign. 

MILESTONE ALERT 
Senior Danielle Hernandez comes into the season with 95 career points, needing five points to become the 12th player in program history to reach 100 points in her career. Hernandez already sits in sixth place on the program's all-time career assist list with 37 assists and can move into fifth place with 16 assists. In addition, she can move into the Top-10 for career points with 11 points with former teammate Amanda Heidt (106, 2018-22) currently holding the 10th spot. Junior Chyler Espino, who became the fifth different player in program history with 10 draw controls in a game against St. Bonaventure last season, is 10th for career draw controls with 79 draws. She can move into eighth place with four draws (83) and seventh place with nine draws (88). Espino can also crack the Top-10 in ground balls and caused turnovers this season. Currently sitting at 35 caused turnovers, she can move into 10th place with 10 caused miscues (45), while her 69 ground balls are 15 ground balls (84) from No. 10 on the career list for that category.

HATTIES 
Senior Danielle Hernandez and sophomore Bella Fisher lead the team with seven hat tricks in their career. Graduate student Lizzie Fisher is third on the team with six hat tricks, while sophomores Julia Givens (three) and Brooke Lacey (one) also have scored at least three goals in a game once in their career. Givens notched the first of the season with three tallies against Oregon on February 16.

ABOUT THE COACH 
Head coach Tracy Coyne enters her fifth season at Saint Francis and her 35th campaign in her legendary career. She holds a 314-222 career record. She currently ranks seventh in wins by active Division I head coaches, while she is 11th in NCAA Division I history in wins, 13th at any level for active head coaches and 19th overall for any level. Coyne became the program's winningest head coach in program history in a 17-11 win against St. Bonaventure on April 19. In 2023, under her tutelage the Red Flash has set a program record for overall wins (10), conference wins (5), longest winning streak (6) and clinched the program's first-ever NEC Tournament appearance. She 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. Coyne was inducted into the Roanoke Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne has added four freshmen and ne junior to the 2024 roster. Junior Victoria DiRenno comes to Loretto after playing two seasons at Niagara. Freshmen Kylie Fischer, Jacks Lesmeister, Elizabeth Mahmud and Molly Riva all joined the squad this season.College Hall of Fame in 2023.