The JMU field hockey team held steady in the national rankings this week, voted No. 20 nationally, alongside Princeton, in the week two Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Coaches Poll announced Tuesday.
The Dukes went 1-1 on the weekend to move to 4-1 on the year. This is the first time since 2008 that JMU has been 4-1 through the first five games of the season and the first time since 2002 that the Dukes opened a season with a four-game win streak.
On Friday, Sept. 12, JMU rolled to a 7-1 victory at Appalachian State as six different Dukes posted points. Redshirt-junior midfielder Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md./Pocomoke) tallied two goals and two assists to lead the team. Junior backLoes Stijntjes (Steenokkerzeel, Belgium/Heilig Hartcollege) and freshman forward Katie Winesett (Centreville, Va./Westfield) each scored twice while senior back Dana Allaband (Elkton, Md./Rising Sun) and junior midfielder Adrienne le Vatte (Port Elizabeth, South Africa/Alexander Road) each assisted on two goals. Senior forward Bethany Ashworth(Lititz, Pa./Warwick) rounded out the scoring for JMU.
On Sunday, Sept. 14, the Dukes fell 2-1 in overtime to then-No. 13 Northwestern in a neutral-site match held at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. JMU tied the game at 1-1 off a shot by Stijntjes that followed a penalty corner with just 1:19remaining in regulation, forcing the Dukes’ second overtime game in a week. The Wildcats scored the golden goal 56 seconds into the first overtime period.
Stijntjes currently ranks sixth nationally in goals per game (1.40) and ninth in points per game (3.00). As a team, the Dukes are 11th nationally in goals per game (3.60) and scoring average (3.32), as well as 13th in points per game (9.20) and 14th in penalty corners per game (7.40).
No. 20 JMU takes on Missouri State this Friday, Sept. 19 in a 7 p.m. game at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
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