There was no “luck of the Irish” for the No. 13 ranked Loyola women’s lacrosse team, which wore its road green uniforms for the Greyhounds’ St. Patrick’s Day contest at 20th-ranked James Madison.
Instead, the purple-clad Dukes came from behind for an 11-6 win over the Greyhounds Saturday afternoon at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.
The Dukes, who had lost their last two games in one-goal decisions, improved to 4-3. Loyola, losing for the first time in its last four games, has a 4-3 record.
It was the Dukes’ first win over Loyola since the 2007 season. The Greyhounds entered the game riding a three-game winning streak over JMU with victories in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.
JMU, trailing 5-3 at intermission, opened the second half with seven unanswered goals to build an insurmountable lead, 10-5 with 13:36 to go.
The Dukes did not take a lead in the game until redshirt junior Casey Ancarrow (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll), a Tewaaraton Award candidate, pushed JMU ahead 6-5 with an unassisted goal with 23:10 left
Loyola, which scored the game’s first goal just 2:05 into the contest, held the lead until the Dukes’ run put JMU ahead to stay.
JMU held a 26-25 edge on shots and in the second half out-shot the Greyhounds 15-11.
Dukes’ freshman goalkeeper Schylar Healy (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty), making her first career start, stopped 13 shots, a game-high for the Dukes this season. She made six of those saves in a second half in which Loyola scored only once.
Loyola senior goalkeeper and Tewaaraton Award candidate Kerry Stoothoff (Blue Point, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) finished with eight saves.
“Skylar Healy had a great game, coming up with 13 saves,” said JMU head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe. “I was really happy to see the team defense rally behind each other. They stuck with the game plan and limited the (scoring) chances for key opposing players.
“We faced one of the best goalies in the country, and we did a great job adjusting in the second half, finding a way to get the ball around that goalkeeper.”
Senior Annie Brophy (Westminster, Md./Mercy) scored twice and five other Dukes tallied one goal each in the 7-0 scoring run.
Seven Dukes combined for the Dukes’ 11 goals, led by two goals apiece for Brophy, Ancarrow, senior Caitlin McHugh (Westminster, Md./Mercy) and sophomore Amy Roguski (Sykesville, Md./Liberty).
JMU junior Amanda Mathews (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) and sophomore Leah Perrotta (Forest Hills, Md./Fallston) each scooped up three ground balls, and senior Ariel Lane (Vero Beach , Fla./Vero Beach) had a game-high three draw controls. Senior Cally Chakrian (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) caused two turnovers.
Loyola was led in scoring by freshman Annie Thomas (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) with three goals and sophomore Marlee Paton (Seaholme, Australia) with two.
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