Wednesday, February 28 | Robert Morris | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 2 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

OPENING DRAW 
Saint Francis makes its 2024 home debut against former Northeast Conference rival Robert Morris on Wednesday. It marks the 15th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2005 season and the first since the 2019 campaign. The Red Flash is looking for its eighth home-opening win (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023). The squad is also looking to win back-to-back home openers for the third time in team history.

THE WORD ON ROBERT MORRIS
The Colonials comes into the match 0-4, but have played Ohio State, Cincinnati, top-ranked Boston College and Bucknell. Robert Morris lost 17-11 to Bucknell in its last game on Saturday. Jenna Irwin leads the team with five goals for five points, while Colleen Tifft also has five points thanks to three tallies and two assists. Lilli Hadden has found the back of the net four times for four points. Jenna Evans powers the team with three caused turnovers and ranks second with six draw controls, and Jordan Anderson has a team-best 10 draw controls. Sydney Riker has 24 saves in 144:03 minutes.

LAST TIME WE MET 
Robert Morris defeated Saint Francis 18-5 on April 12, 2019. Amanda Heidt and Emileigh Scott powered the Red Flash with two goals apiece. Kerri Sayrafe paced the Colonials with nine goals, while Melanie Gandy had two tallies and six assists for eight points. Ashley Stoessel made 13 saves for Saint Francis, and Katelyn Miller turned away five shots in 50:35 minutes.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis lost 19-13 on Thursday. Bella Fisher paced the Red Flash with three goals and a career-high three assists. Nancy Alden notched her first career hat trick, while Lizzie Fisher had three markers and an assist. Julia Givens added two goals and paced the defense with three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Taylor Coughlin made a career-high 13 saves.

NEXT TIME OUT 
Saint Francis travels to Saint Bonaventure on March 5 before opening NEC play at home against LIU on March 9. The NEC opener against the Sharks also starts a three-game homestand for the Red Flash.

NEC HONORS
Danielle Hernandez and Julia Givens were named NEC Prime Performers for the week of February 12-18. Hernandez had two goals and two assists, while Givens posted a hat trick against Oregon in the first-ever game against a Power 5 opponent on February 16.
HATTIES 
Sophomore Bella Fisher leads the team with eight hat tricks after registering her first of the season against Rider on February 24. Graduate student Lizzie Fisher also had a hat trick against Rider and now has seven in her career to sit tied with fellow senior captain Danielle Hernandez. Sophomore Nancy Alden notched her first career hat trick against Rider, and fellow sophomore Julia Givens had a three-goal performance against Oregon in the season opener on February 16. Givens has five career hatties, while sophomore Brooke Lacey also has a three-goal performance on her resume.

MILESTONE ALERT 
Senior Danielle Hernandez has 96 career points, needing four 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.

INSIDE LACROSSE FEATURE 
Graduate student Erika Ellison was featured in an article for Inside Lacrosse chronicling her time as a student-athlete and being a member of the ROTC. Click HERE to read the story.

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN 
Graduate student Lizzie Fisher, senior Danielle Hernandez and junior Chyler Espino have been named captains for the 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. 

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.