The Elon University women’s lacrosse team opened its season with an emphatic victory, cruising to a 15-5 win over Campbell University Saturday afternoon at Rudd Field.
The Phoenix jumped out to an early 5-0 lead within the first five minutes and never looked back, going on to score nine goals in the first half and six in the second. It took only 22 seconds for Elon to take the lead, and junior attacker Stephanie Asher netted twice in the opening three minutes before going on to score a game-high five goals.
Another player who had a significant impact in the match was senior attacker Sloane Kessler, who scored a hat-trick. In the second half, Kessler found the back of the net to beat the shot clock in dramatic style, capping off her day as the only player other than Asher to score more than one goal.
“We were coming down close on the shot clock,” Kessler said. “I was able to slip underneath from the left side and we beat the shot clock.”
The Phoenix played much to the liking of head coach Josh Hexter, who emphasized the team's chemistry as a key before the season.
“We played for each other,” Hexter said. “We took some risks and we played really hard against a good Campbell team.”
Both Asher and Hexter were proud of the team’s hustle, stating that the unit displayed “great energy” for the duration of the match.
The victory is the Phoenix’s third consecutive season-opening win. Elon returns to action at 1 p.m. next Saturday when the Phoenix travels to No. 13 ranked University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.