UD Women's Lacrosse Hosts Midland University on Saturday; 1st Game of Season
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas women's lacrosse team is set to open its 2021 season on Saturday versus Midland University at 11 a.m.
Livestats and video are expected to be available for this match.
(A reminder that at this time no spectators are permitted at athletic home events.)
After the season and home opener, the Crusaders will play another home match next week on Sunday, March 14 at 12 p.m. The list of contests this month concludes on Mar. 20 at Ottawa University. Dallas will play the 2019 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament Champion Colorado College back-to-back weekends in April. They host the Tigers on the 11th and then play at Colorado Springs on the 18th. The schedule tentatively ends with a road match at Southwestern University on the 24th. A home date with the Pirates is still being determined.
The SCAC Tournament would be held at Dallas on May 1 and 3.
Head Coach Kaitlin Cochran enters the start of her second season with the Crusaders. Her first year as the leader of the program was cut short in due to COVID-19. Her roster consists of 14 players, with five returners.
Emily Pauletti (Dallas, Texas) lettered the past two seasons and returns as the leading scorer. In five matches in 2020, she scored 16 goals which ranked fourth in the conference. She also had five draw controls, eight ground balls, and three caused turnovers. UD also returns Gabby Dixon (San Diego, Calif.), who was named SCAC Defensive Player of the Week last spring. She was tied first on the squad for caused turnovers with nine. Lizzy Elfet (Brookfield, Wis.), Elizabeth Padilla (Waco, Texas), and Teagan Walsh (Chevy Chase, Md.) round out the trio of returners that made their collegiate debuts last year.
Dallas will feature nine newcomers on Saturday. Emily Elfet (Brookefield, Wis.) is among them playing with her sister Lizzy. Joining her will be: Angela Bawardi (Fort Worth, Texas), Sam Ketter (Parker, Colo.), Olivia Moore, Monica Coniker (Palmer, Colo.), Sophia Palafox, Clarissa Duvvurri, Kathleen Rodda (Granite Bay, Calif.), and Sophia Haeuser (Napa, Calif.).
Midland is an NAIA school and a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC). Riley Yanek was named the KCAC Offensive Player of the Week after a 15-8 win over University of St. Mary. The Warriors will play fellow SCAC team Southwestern University on Friday before traveling to Irving.
This is the first time these teams will meet at UD, but they had meant in 2018 at Fremont, Nebraska. The Warriors prevailed 19-8. Pauletti was the only Crusader to play in that match that is on today's squad, and she delivered three goals and had all four shots on target.