#19 ODU field hockey blasts JMU, 4-0

The James Madison field hockey squad dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 19 Old Dominion on Sunday afternoon at LR Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Dukes fell to 6-2 on the year, with both losses coming against ranked opponents (Sept. 14 vs. No. 13 Northwestern, 2-1 OT loss). The Monarchs improved to 5-4 on the season.

The Monarchs outshot the Dukes 18-3 overall, including a 12-1 lead in shots during the second half. ODU also earned seven penalty corners while JMU earned zero penalty corners for the first time this season.

Senior Hannah George (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) was tabbed with the loss (5-2), allowing four goals and committing five saves. Megan Hept took the win (5-4), allowing zero goals and committing one save.

ODU held a 1-0 lead after the first half with the lone goal coming 11:47 into play from Victoria Rezette. After the tally, both defenses held strong while the Monarchs held a 6-2 shot advantage and 2-0 corner advantage.

The second half opened in ODU’s favor as the Monarchs earned three consecutive corners and posted eight shots over the first 14 minutes of the stanza. They took a 2-0 lead off a rebound from a blocked shot, both by Sarah Breen.

With less than 13 minutes left in regulation, ODU pushed its lead to three (3-0) and capped the 4-0 win by scoring off a corner with less than eight minutes to play.

Junior forward Erin Gallivan (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford) posted the lone shot-on-goal for JMU in the third minute of the game. Redshirt-junior midfielder Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md./Pocomoke) and junior forward Danni Wilson (Port Elizabeth, South Africa/Collegiate) accounted for the other two JMU shots of the day.

JMU returns home next weekend to open Colonial Athletic Association action at the JMU Field Hockey Complex in Harrisonburg, Va. On Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., the Dukes host defending CAA Champion Delaware and support Breast Cancer Awareness Day. On Sunday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m., JMU takes on Towson, available on MadiZONE HD SportsNet presented by the JMU Alumni Association, before hosting a youth clinic.