No. 12 James Madison survived a late-game flurry of goals by 11th-ranked Virginia and came away with a 16-14 win in women’s lacrosse Wednesday afternoon at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.
The Dukes (13-3) never trailed in the contest but Virginia (9-7) would not go away.
JMU, which closed out its regular season with its fourth win in a row, led by three (8-5) at halftime and by was up by as many as six (16-10 at 5:30) in the second period.
But Virginia scored four times in a span of 2:26 and cut the Dukes’ advantage to 16-14 on a goal by freshman Christie Donovan (Hingham, Mass./Brooks School) with 2:37 remaining. In the Cavaliers’ scoring run, Virginia controlled three consecutive draws. The Cavaliers turned the first two draws into quick scores, getting a goal from freshman Katie Slater (Kensington, Md./ Holy Cross) at 5:03 and a free-position score from junior Charlie Finnigan (Twickenham, Middlesex, England/Lady Eleanor Holles) at 4:24.
After Finnegan controlled another draw at 4:14, the Cavaliers turned the ball over but regained possession on a JMU turnover, and junior Julie Gardner (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) converted a free-position attempt at 3:32 to cut the Dukes’ lead to 16-13.
JMU junior Annie Brophy (Berwyn, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) controlled the next draw but the Dukes turned the ball over, resulting in Donovan’s score at the 2:37 mark.
The Dukes also got the next draw as junior Caitlin McHugh (Westminster, Md./Mercy) controlled it, but another JMU turnover at 1:19 gave Virginia possession. However, Dukes’ redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Menghetti (Media, Pa./Penncrest) stopped a shot by Finnigan at 1:06 and an attempt by Gardner with 52 seconds remaining was wide. JMU got possession and was able to run out the clock.
JMU redshirt sophomore Casey Ancarrow (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll) led the Dukes with four goals, including three in a 5-0 Dukes run that put JMU up 10-5 with 28:29 left in the second period.
Virginia, however, outscored JMU 4-1 in a period of 13:03 to get within two, 11-9, with 13:50 remaining. Slater, who led Virginia with four goals, scored three unassisted goals during that stretch.
But the Dukes countered with a 5-1 run over a span of 7:34 to pull ahead to what proved to be an insurmountable 16-10 lead. Junior Monica Zabel (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) scored twice and junior Ariel Lane (Vero Beach , Fla./Vero Beach), senior Mary Kate Lomady (Abington, Pa./Abington) and junior Ashley Kimener (Oakton, Va./Oakton) each added a goal for JMU.
In addition to Ancarrow’s four-goal afternoon, Lomady and Zabel each scored three times. Redshirt sophomore Rebecca McLouth (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and junior Ashley Kimener (Oakton, Va./Oakton) each contributed two goals.
Three Virginia players, in addition to Slater, had multiple goals. Junior Josie Owen (Gibson Island, Md./Severn) scored three, and Gardner and Finnegan finished with two apiece.
JMU held only a 28-26 advantage on shots, but the Dukes had 21 draw controls to 11 for Virginia. Each team had 15 turnovers, and Virginia scooped up 25 ground balls while JMU had only 15 ground balls.
The Dukes’ Menghetti finished with six saves, and Virginia sophomore goalkeeper Kim Kolarik (Riva, Md./South River) had eight stops.
JMU’s Lane had a game-high five draw controls, and Brophy, McHugh and junior Cally Chakrian (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) each controlled three draws. Senior Diana Apel (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg)and Zabel led the Dukes with two caused turnovers apiece, and four JMU players had two ground balls each.
Share
Contributors
