Sunday, April 28 | at Stonehill | North Easton, Mass. | W.B. Mason Stadium | 12 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | CAREER HIGHS/RECORDS

OPENING DRAW 
Saturday's NEC Quarterfinal matchup between Saint Francis and Stonehill marks the third meeting in the all-time series and the second meeting in Massachusetts in the last eight days. The series is tied at one game apiece, with each team winning on its home field. The winner of this match will also earn its first NEC Tournament win.

MAKING A MARK
Saint Francis finished the NEC regular season with a 7-3 record in league play. It was the second-straight year the Red Flash posted a winning conference record in NEC play, and the seven victories best the 5-3 mark the team had in 2023. 

Saint Francis is 8-7 on the year to clinch its second-straight non-losing season. The eight wins are also the second most in single-season history behind the 10-6 mark in 2023. 

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT/CURRENT NEC TOURNAMENT LANDSCAPE

This season, the NEC has expanded to six teams in the postseason. The Top-2 seeds receive a bye. The third and fourth seeds will host a match on Sunday, April 28. The winners of those contests will meet the top two seeds at the home of the regular season champion for the traditional NEC Championships on May 2 and 4.

The winners of Sunday's matches will travel to top-seeded Sacred Heart, where they will face the Pioneers or LIU in the semifinals on May 2. 

THE WORD ON THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill comes into the match 8-8 overall after a come-from-behind 14-13 win at Merrimack on Wednesday. Molly Mae Hughes leads the team with 51 goals and 26 assists for 77 points. Grace Murphy is second on the squad with 46 tallies and 12 assists for 58 points, and Lilly Leach ranks third with 46 tallies and six assists for 52 points. Leach powers the team in draw controls (121), Sofia D'Agostino leads in caused turnovers (15), and Karly King is the team leader in ground balls (39). Claire Smith has 149 saves, a 12.70 goals against average, and a .457 save percentage.
 

LAST TIME WE MET 
Stonehill defeated Saint Francis 19-7 on April 20. Bella Fisher posted two goals and an assist, while Lizzie Fisher added a tally and a helper. Grace Murphy fueled the Skyhawks with six goals and an assist, while Molly Mae Hughes tallied three markers and three assists, and Lilly Leach found the twine five times. Taylor Coughlin made seven saves for the Red Flash, while Claire Smith had five stops for Stonehill.

LAST TIME OUT
Bella Fisher posted five goals, three assists, and a career-high 11 draw controls to help Saint Francis defeat Howard 20-4 on Wednesday. Danielle Hernandez made some history of her own with a career-high five assists in her final game at DeGol Field. The five helpers are the fourth most in single-season history and the second time she has reached the total in her career. Lizzie Fisher added four goals in her final game at DeGol Field.

NEXT TIME OUT 
The winner of Sunday's match moves on to the NEC Semifinals on May 2. If Le Moyne wins the other quarterfinal matchup on Sunday, the winner of the Red Flash-Skyhawks game will face top-seed Sacred Heart. If Wagner downs Le Moyne, the winner of the match in Massachusetts will draw LIU in the semifinals.

IN THE NEC
Junior Taylor Coughlin ranks second in saves per game (9.87), third in save percentage (.479), and fourth in goals against average (10.74). Sophomore Bella Fisher leads the league in shots per game (7.73) and ranks second in points per game (3.87), fourth in goals per game (2.80), sixth in assists per game (1.07), and eighth in draw controls per game (3.62). Senior Danielle Hernandez is third in assists per game (1.60). Senior Lizzie Fisher is eighth in goals per game (2.14). Sophomore Bella Burke sits fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.57). Saint Francis ranks second in goals per game (11.33), assists per game (5.40), and points per game (16.73). 

NEC HONORS
Taylor Coughlin was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for April 1-7. Coughlin becomes the second player to earn the award twice in one season and the fourth player to win twice in her career in program history. Coughlin registered 33 saves, a 5.50 goals against average, and a .750 save percentage to lead the Red Flash to two wins. Coughlin, sophomore Bella Burke, and senior Danielle Hernandez were named NEC Prime Performers. Burke posted seven caused turnovers, four ground balls, and two draw controls, while Hernandez posted five goals and five assists for 10 points.

Sophomore Brooke Lacey was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week for March 25-31. Lacey stuffed the stat sheet with three goals, one assist, a career-high four caused turnovers, four ground balls, and a draw control to help the Red Flash to a 13-8 win against FDU to start NEC play 3-1 for the first time in team history. Lacey and fellow sophomore Julia Givens were also named NEC Prime Performers. Like Lacey, Givens was on both ends of the field, producing four goals, one assist, three ground balls, and two caused turnovers in the win against the Knights. 

Sophomore Bella Fisher was named the NEC Player of the Week, Coughlin was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman Elizabeth Mahmud was the NEC Rookie of the Week for March 18-24. Bella Fisher posted five goals, including a go-ahead goal, to help Saint Francis defeat Wagner for only the third time in program history with an 8-7 win. Coughlin allowed a career-low seven goals and had seven saves in the win against the Seahawks. Mahmud registered a career-high two goals and two draw controls, including the team's eighth goal and the ensuing draw control to help the Red Flash run out the clock. Bella Fisher and Coughlin were also named NEC Prime Performers.

Bella Fisher was named the NEC Co-Player of the Week, Burke earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman Jacks Lesmeister captured her first NEC Rookie of the Week selection for February 26-March 3. Burke, Bella Fisher, and graduate student Lizzie Fisher were Prime Performers. Bella Fisher registered five goals, one assist, seven draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover in a 15-9 win against Robert Morris on February 28. Burke anchored the defense in the win against Robert Morris by helping to keep the Colonials under 10 goals in the game and adding four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Lesmeister posted four caused turnovers and two ground balls against the Colonials. 

Bella Fisher was named NEC Prime Performer for April 8-14. She had six goals and an assist in the week, including four tallies and an assist in a win against Delaware State. Bella Fisher and Hernandez were named NEC Prime Performers for the last game of the year. Bella Fisher had five goals, three assists, and 11 draw controls, while Hernandez dished out five assists against Howard.

Burke, Bella Fisher, and Lizzie Fisher were named NEC Prime Performers for March 11-17. Burke posted nine draw controls, five caused turnovers, and four ground balls in the week and helped to keep the No. 3 team in the NEC in goals and points coming into the game to just seven goals in a 17-7 win against Merrimack. Bella Fisher tallied six goals, one assist, seven points, three ground balls, two caused turnovers, and nine draw controls. Lizzie Fisher recorded eight goals and two assists for 10 points in the week, including a career-high six goals and one assist for seven points against Merrimack — the six goals rank as the 10th-most in single-game program history. Lacey was named an NEC Prime Performer for the week of March 4-10. Lacey registered four goals, two assists for six points, four ground balls, and three caused turnovers. Bella Fisher and Givens were named NEC Prime Performers for the week of February 19-25. Fisher registered three goals and a career-high three assists for six points, and Givens tallied two goals, three ground balls, and three caused turnovers against Rider. Hernandez and 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.

Bella Fisher leads the team with five Prime Performers. Burke and Givens have three, and Coughlin, Lacey Hernandez, and graduate student Lizzie Fisher have two.

A DAVID PUDDY HIGH-FIVE
Graduate student Lizzie Fisher, junior Nancy Alden, and sophomore Bella Fisher are the only players on the team to have a five-goal performance. Bella Fisher leads the team with seven contests with at least five goals, including a pair of six-goal performances last season against CCSU on April 15, 2023, and against St. Bonaventure four days later. The sophomore has three five-goal performances this season against Robert Morris on February 28, Wagner on March 23, and Howard on April 24. Lizzie Fisher joined the club with her five-goal performance against Robert Morris, and Alden stamped her membership with a career-high five goals against Kent State on March 13. Lizzie Fisher joined Bella Fisher in the six-goal club with her six tallies against Merrimack on March 16.

HATTIES Sophomore Bella Fisher leads the team with 15 hat tricks after registering seven this season, including a pair of five-goal performances. Graduate student Lizzie Fisher has five hat tricks in 2024, with a career-high six tallies against Merrimack to notch 11 hat tricks in her career. Senior captain Danielle Hernandez is right behind the duo with nine three-goal performances. Sophomore Nancy Alden notched her first career hat trick against Rider, had a career-high five goals against Kent State on March 13, and has three hatties this season. Fellow sophomore Julia Givens has four hat tricks this season and eight career hatties. Sophomore Broke Lacey has three hat tricks this season and four in her career, and junior Victoria DiRenno recorded her first hattie of her career against Howard.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS (METALLICA-JOE COCKER MASHUP)

Sophomore Bella Burke leads the team with 31 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers and ranks fourth with 18 draw controls. The sophomore had a career-high six draw controls against Kent State on March 13. Last season, she registered 30 of her 40 ground balls, 22 of her 26 caused turnovers, and six of her seven draw controls in the final seven matches of her freshman year. In those seven games, the sophomore had at least three ground balls in all seven games and at least two caused turnovers in six of the seven games with a career-high six caused turnovers against Wagner on April 29, 2023. Burke has at least two ground balls in 18 of 29 games, and two caused turnovers in 15 games in her career. In addition, she has recorded at least four caused turnovers in a game five times in her career, marks that all sit in the program's single-game Top-10 in program history, including a season-high five against Le Moyne on April 3.

Sophomore Julia Givens has 24 ground balls, and 15 caused turnovers, while fellow sophomore Brooke Lacey has 14 caused miscues. Lacey had four caused turnovers against FDU, the 17th time a Red Flash player has recorded four caused turnovers in a game and the eighth-most in program history. 

MILESTONE ALERT 
Senior Danielle Hernandez has 131 career points and became the 12th player in team history to reach 100 points in her career and the fourth under head coach Tracy Coyne against St. Bonaventure on March 5. She moved into eighth place for points with her five assists against Howard on April 24 and can jump into seventh place with eight points. She also sits in fifth place for career assists with 59, needing one helper to move into third place. Hernandez dished out the fourth-most assists in a single game with five helpers against Stonehill on April 1, 2023, and against Howard. The senior notched her second four-helper performance after having four dimes against Stetson on March 14, 2023. Hernandez becomes the fourth player in program history to have at least four matches with four assists in a game; Katie Schaaf is the only player to have turned the trick seven times. 

Sophomore Bella Fisher became the 13th player in team history with 100 points after posting eight points against Howard and the second to reach the feat this season after Hernandez did it earlier this season. The eight points are the eighth-most in single-season history. She also moved into seventh place in career draw controls and needs one draw to become the seventh player in team history with 100 draws. She can move into sixth place with 11 draws. The sophomore grabbed 11 draw controls against Howard, the second-most in single-game history. 

MAKING MOVES IN SINGLE-SEASON HISTORY
Sophomore Bella Burke has 24 caused turnovers to rank sixth on the program's single-season chart. Next on the list are 25 (fourth place) and 26 (third place) caused turnovers. Burke had 26 caused miscues last season and is the third player in team history to have two spots on the single-season Top-10, joining Peyton LeConte (three) and Jessica Mazzur (two).

Sophomore Bella Fisher needs one point to reach fifth place on the single-season chart, sitting at 59 points. She can move into fourth place with four points and third place with eight points. She has tied her mark for goals in a season as a freshman to sit in ninth place, one tally from eighth place (43), two goals from fifth place (44), four goals from fourth place (46), and seven goals from third place (49). She would be the third player to register two Top-10 marks on the single-season chart, joining Danielle Conwell (two) and Emileigh Scott (two). She can also join the Top 10 for season draw controls with two draws.

Senior Danielle Hernandez has moved into the Top-9 in assists with 23 assists, one from third (24), three from her mark last year in second place (26), and four from the single-season program record. She became the third player to have two marks on the single-season list for assists, joining former teammate Autumn McHenry (two) and Danielle Conwell (two).

INSIDE LACROSSE FEATURE 
Graduate student Erika Ellison was featured in an article for Inside Lacrosse chronicling her time as a student-athlete and a ROTC member. 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, junior Collen Roche and sophomore Bella Fisher, will serve as Women's Lacrosse Leadership Council members.

RETURNING ALL-NEC PERFORMERS 
Sophomore Bella Fisher was named the 2023 NEC Rookie of the Year, becoming 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 selected to the second team senior Danielle Hernandez. Fisher and sophomore Bella Burke earned NEC All-Rookie team distinction. 

WELCOME TO THE LO' 
Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Tracy Coyne has added four freshmen and one 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 joined the squad this season. Mahmud recorded her first career goal against Kent State on March 13, and her first career assist against Merrimack on March 16. Lesmeister posted her first tally against CCSU on April 6 and Riva had her first career point at Delaware State on April 10.

FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH 
Saint Francis has three players who hail from Canada: Juniors Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) and Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario) and sophomore Mak Patten (Welland, Ontario). Head coach Tracy Coyne also served 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 
Since the 2023 season ended with Team Philippines, junior Chyler Espino has played in two international tournaments. The junior played in the World Lacrosse Festival over the summer in California and then in the Super Sixes Tournament in December in Hong Kong. Espino was joined in the Super Sixes Tournament by former teammate Elyssa Enrique. Espino is currently out with an injury.

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 321-229 career record. She currently ranks seventh in wins by active Division I head coaches. At the same time, 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 set a program record for overall wins (10), conference wins (5), and 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 joined the Roanoke College Hall of Fame in 2023.