ELON, N.C. – Elon sophomore midfielder Stephanie Asher exploded for six goals, as the Phoenix jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 15-8 victory over the Longwood women's lacrosse Sunday afternoon at Rudd Field.
 
Asher, who entered the game with two goals, scored her first goals in the opening six minutes of action to put Elon (2-0) ahead from start to finish. The Phoenix also received a four-goal performance from Sloane Kessler to glide to the victory despite allowing Longwood to score a season-high eight goals on the day.
 
A major force in Longwood's comeback attempt, Sarah Butler scored her first goal of the season on a free position shot to pull the Lancers to within 6-2 at the end of the first half. The senior midfielder helped account for six Lancer goals on the day, as she finished with three goals and three assists.
 
At the start of the second half, Elon stretched its lead to 10-2 upon scoring four unanswered goals sparked by a Kelsey Dupere goal which was followed by three straight from Kessler.
 
After falling behind 12-4, the Lancers responded with back-to-back goals as Katie McHugh found the net off a pass from Butler and Shiloh McKenzie converted a free position shot with 6:32 remaining. McHugh found the net twice on the day to give her three on the year.
 
Sophomore midfielder Madison Stair put in two unanswered goals for the Lancers, including her second of the season after being set up by Butler to cut the deficit to six in the final three minutes of the game.
 
With her team's lead down to 14-8, Asher found the net for a sixth time in the final minute to help Elon hold off all possible comeback attempts by Longwood.
 
In addition to the six-goal outburst, Asher contributed to her all-around performance with two assists, four ground balls and one draw control.
 
The Phoenix capitalized on ball possession throughout, reeling in 23 ground balls and 14 draw controls to them gain a 38-19 shot advantage over the Lancers on the afternoon.
 
Elon goalkeeper Rachel Ramirez finished the day with seven saves to pick up her second win of the season.
 
Longwood will look to pick up its first win of the 2016 campaign when the team returns home to host Old Dominion Wednesday, Feb. 17. The game is set to begin at 3 p.m. at the Athletics Complex.
 
#GoWood