Season Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles

Eastern Michigan women's lacrosse is set to begin year one under head coach Maddie Dugan in 2025. 

Dugan comes to the Eagles by way of Detroit Mercy, where she took the Titans to the MAC championship game in 2024. She replaces Sarah Tisdale who left for the head coaching job at Florida State after helping to start the program at EMU. 

Dugan joined the Taking The Field With Stevie Mac podcast hosted by Steven MacDonald to talk about the 2025 season. 

On offense, the Eagles return eight of their top nine point producers from a year ago - led by Mackenzie Blackwell. "That kid - she's a dog," Dugan said of Blackwell. In 2024, Blackwell tallied 49 goals and 5 assists across 16 games. Blackwell finished last season third in the MAC for goals per game plus fourth in points per game and shots per game. 

The defense will be anchored by sophomore goalie Maddie Porter. Porter was third in the league for goals against average, fourth in saves per game and fifth for save percentage. She led the MAC in ground balls per game, something Dugan pointed to during the interview. Nationally, Porter ranked 31st in save percentage, 27th in saves per game, and her 4.20 ground balls per game led the nation. 

Dugan and MacDonald also discussed the Eagles' schedule, particularly the conference slate. "It's anyone's conference," Dugan stated. "Looking at that April 6th match-up (with Detroit Mercy), I think it's going to be a fun one - I think it's going to be an emotional one."

Eastern Michigan opens their season on Feb. 9 at home against San Diego State.

For more on the conversation with coach Dugan, you can find the full episode here. 



Location: Detroit, MI, USA

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