Pirates Open 2026 Against Queens On Sunday

Game 1: East Carolina (7-10, 4-2 American in 2025) vs. Queens (6-11, 3-3 ASUN in 2025)
Date	Sunday, February 8
Time	2:00 p.m. (ET)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Bill Clark Homes Field at Johnson Stadium)
Media Coverage	Live Stats: StatBroadcast Stream: ESPN+
Game Notes	East Carolina
Social Media	Twitter: @e culax Instagram: @eculax

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team officially kicks of 2026 on Sunday afternoon, hosting the Queens Royals for a 2 p.m. tilt on Bill Clark Homes Field at Johnson Stadium. The game is free for fans to attend and will be available for streaming on ESPN+ for those unable to make it out.

The first 100 fans in attendance at the game will receive a t-shirt.

Last Season
The Pirates finished with a 10-7 record which included a program record 4-2 mark in American Conference play. It was a season of major growth for the team, proving that ECU has the potential to make the jump to becoming a true perennial contender in the American. The team was led on the year by Kayla Wilkes and Emma Magazu who became the first Pirates ever to win conference player of the year accolades, being named the American's Midfielder and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. Both of those players are back, as are nine others who started five-or-more games a season ago, including starting goalkeeper Jaime Behar and team captains Bella Askey and Rachel Chessock.

Scouting Queens
The Royals enter 2026 after a 6-11 campaign a season ago which saw the team finish 3-3 in conference play while competing in the ASUN, just missing out on the ASUN Tournament based on a three-way tiebreaker. Statistically, the team was led by Kyleen Favreau's 72 points on 60 goals and 12 assists while Avery McMullin led the defensive effort with 31 caused turnovers and 42 ground balls. In cage, Devan Maready got the majority of the minutes, making 111 saves on a .381 save percentage. Entering this season, Favreau was named ASUN Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after earning the award to end the 2025 season. She was joined on the Preseason All-Conference team by Savannah Donohue. As a team, the Royals were tabbed sixth in the ASUN.

Series History
The Pirates and Royals have met three times, all in the past three seasons and all ECU wins. It was a 12-8 result in the 2025 season opener which saw ECU midfielder Kayla Wilkes put up five goals in her return to the field after a knee injury had ended her 2024 season. It was a wire-to-wire win in Charlotte as Jaime Behar got the win in goal with eight saves made. Rachel Chessock, Leah Bestany and Emily Stratton all contributed a pair of goals each while Bella Askey tallied the lone remaining goal. Grace McCarthy had a strong day on the draw with seven draw controls individually to lead the Pirates to a 14-9 margin in the category.

Preseason Accolades
The Pirates cleaned up on preseason honors this year, having two players earn preseason Player of the Year nods for the first time with Kayla Wilkes being named Preseason Midfielder of the Year and Jaime Behar being named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. They were joined on the Preseason All-Conference team by Emma Magazu and Rachel Chessock. Magazu and Wilkes were unanimous selections.

First-Place Vote
For the first time in program history, the Pirates earned a first-place vote in the American Conference Preseason Poll.

In The Community
The program has made it a focus to strive not only for success on the field and in the classroom, but as representatives in the community. As a team, the Pirates logged 595.5 hours of community service in the fall.

Aspire
Assistant coach Kaelin Hogan graduated from the IWLCA's Aspire Program this spring. According to the organization, "The IWLCA Aspire program was designed to enhance coaches' professional skills, capabilities, and self-awareness through the dynamic blended learning approach."

At the Helm
The Pirates are entering year three under the leadership of head coach Brittany Dipper. Dipper has compiled an 11-22 record with a marked jump from her first to second seasons building anticipation for a successful 2026 campaign.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bella Askey

Jaime Behar

Leah Bestany

Rachel Chessock

Emma Magazu

Grace McCarthy

Emily Stratton

Kayla Wilkes

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