Central Michigan University Athletics
Sunday, April 21
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Noon
Central Michigan University
5-11, 5-0MAC
11
vs
7
Akron
6-9, 1-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Akron
1
2
1
3
7
Central Michigan
3
2
3
3
11
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Lacrosse Clinches MAC No. 1 Seed against Akron, 11-7, on Senior Day; Martel resets Single-Season Saves Record
4/21/2024 3:57:00 PM | Lacrosse
The Chippewas will host the 2024 Mid-American Conference tournament May 2-4, clinch share of MAC regular season title; Martel resets her own single-season saves record with 16 stops; CMU honors eight-player senior class
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Lacrosse clinched the Mid-American Conference's top seed in the 2024 league tournament and at least a share of the MAC regular season crown with an 11-7 victory over Akron Sunday afternoon at the CMU Lacrosse Complex, with a chance at an undefeated regular season in conference play Saturday at Kent State (April 27; 1 p.m.).
Junior goalie Alexa Martel (Rochester, N.Y. / Greece Olympia) eclipsed her own program record of 175 saves from the 2023 season by halftime against the Zips, finishing the day at 183 saves for the season after a 16-save gem that featured a near-.700 save percentage.
"We've definitely leaned on our defense all season," Head Coach Emilia Ward said. "When you return your entire starting defense, your first off the bench, and your goalie, it makes life a lot easier down there. They definitely bailed us out of some situations; our offense wasn't quite as in-sync as it was last week, but I think some of that has to do with how Akron was defending us."
Sunday's 11-goal output was much different than the previous five meetings in the series between the Chippewas and the Zips: CMU poured in 21 in last season's outing. Still, Sandy Edwards (Stuart, Fla. / Jensen Beach) and Skye DePrado (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) played their roles as they have throughout conference play, each recording a hat trick with an assist, a new career mark for Edwards. The senior midfielder also tied her career mark of three ground balls.
The offensive struggle came in the turnover margin, which favored Akron slightly, 19-17, though the Zips also fired 32 shots to CMU's 23. A key advantage for the Chippewas came on a two-for-five day in free position goals—one each from DePrado and Celia Dow (Penfield, N.Y. / Penfield)—while Martel and the CMU defense shut the Zips out in the category on six attempts.
As the final regular season home game for the Chippewas, Sunday also served as Senior Day for their six true seniors, Sandy Edwards, Makenna Huhn, Madeline Kosir, Abigail Lair, Olivia Moorman and Avery Wagnon along with fifth-years Amanda Hilderbrandt and Hailie Moore. Kosir made her first career start in her 21st appearance in Maroon & Gold Sunday, playing heavy minutes in the middle of the CMU defense.
"Senior Day always has a lot of emotions leading into it. Our seniors handled it really well. We still have some work to do to get an outright championship for the regular season, but we're definitely not going to overshadow their celebration here. We want to celebrate our senior class; we'll get back to work on Tuesday."
The outright, undefeated regular season MAC Championship awaits the Chippewas in Kent, Ohio Saturday. While the 'next game' mentality reigns within the program, there is an understanding of the circumstance that lies ahead in less than two weeks.
"In conference, we've definitely taken care of home field. It's always nice to host; the girls get to sleep in their own beds and have a more normal routine. This group has really high aspirations for where they want to get to, so I think they'll lock in to close out the regular season, then look forward to the tournament."
Central Michigan Lacrosse concludes the 2024 regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Kent State, then transitions to host the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship tournament, with semifinal matchups on May 2 and the final May 4.
Junior goalie Alexa Martel (Rochester, N.Y. / Greece Olympia) eclipsed her own program record of 175 saves from the 2023 season by halftime against the Zips, finishing the day at 183 saves for the season after a 16-save gem that featured a near-.700 save percentage.
"We've definitely leaned on our defense all season," Head Coach Emilia Ward said. "When you return your entire starting defense, your first off the bench, and your goalie, it makes life a lot easier down there. They definitely bailed us out of some situations; our offense wasn't quite as in-sync as it was last week, but I think some of that has to do with how Akron was defending us."
Sunday's 11-goal output was much different than the previous five meetings in the series between the Chippewas and the Zips: CMU poured in 21 in last season's outing. Still, Sandy Edwards (Stuart, Fla. / Jensen Beach) and Skye DePrado (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) played their roles as they have throughout conference play, each recording a hat trick with an assist, a new career mark for Edwards. The senior midfielder also tied her career mark of three ground balls.
The offensive struggle came in the turnover margin, which favored Akron slightly, 19-17, though the Zips also fired 32 shots to CMU's 23. A key advantage for the Chippewas came on a two-for-five day in free position goals—one each from DePrado and Celia Dow (Penfield, N.Y. / Penfield)—while Martel and the CMU defense shut the Zips out in the category on six attempts.
As the final regular season home game for the Chippewas, Sunday also served as Senior Day for their six true seniors, Sandy Edwards, Makenna Huhn, Madeline Kosir, Abigail Lair, Olivia Moorman and Avery Wagnon along with fifth-years Amanda Hilderbrandt and Hailie Moore. Kosir made her first career start in her 21st appearance in Maroon & Gold Sunday, playing heavy minutes in the middle of the CMU defense.
"Senior Day always has a lot of emotions leading into it. Our seniors handled it really well. We still have some work to do to get an outright championship for the regular season, but we're definitely not going to overshadow their celebration here. We want to celebrate our senior class; we'll get back to work on Tuesday."
The outright, undefeated regular season MAC Championship awaits the Chippewas in Kent, Ohio Saturday. While the 'next game' mentality reigns within the program, there is an understanding of the circumstance that lies ahead in less than two weeks.
"In conference, we've definitely taken care of home field. It's always nice to host; the girls get to sleep in their own beds and have a more normal routine. This group has really high aspirations for where they want to get to, so I think they'll lock in to close out the regular season, then look forward to the tournament."
Central Michigan Lacrosse concludes the 2024 regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Kent State, then transitions to host the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship tournament, with semifinal matchups on May 2 and the final May 4.
Team Stats
AKR
CMU
Shots
32
23
Turnovers
17
19
Caused Turnovers
9
9
Draw Controls
10
10
Free-Position Shots
6
5
Ground Balls
17
15
Game Leaders
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
0
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
1
G
1
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
3
Players Mentioned
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
D
/ Lacrosse
D
/ Lacrosse
GK
/ Lacrosse
D
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
D
/ LacrosseChippewa Day in the Life: Victoria Chesson
Sunday, October 26
Lacrosse vs Butler
Wednesday, April 16
Lacrosse vs Youngstown State
Sunday, April 13
LAX Cinematic Recap - EMU
Tuesday, April 01