#9 JMU women's lax knocks off Fairfield

The #10/9 James Madison women’s lacrosse team remained unbeaten with a 13-10 win over previously undefeated Fairfield Saturday afternoon at the JMU Lacrosse Complex.

JMU, which entered the game ranked 10th in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll and ninth in the Inside Lacrosse poll, improved to 3-0. Unranked Fairfield is now 3-1.

Dukes’ redshirt sophomore Casey Ancarrow (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll) finished the day with team highs of three goals and three ground balls, and she also had two assists, a caused turnover and a draw control. Ancarrow, a Tewaaraton Trophy candidate, had a goal and two assists in a 4-0 JMU scoring run that put the game away with under five minutes to play.

“Fairfield’s really known for their offense and they have great goaltending, so it’s something that we had to overcome,” JMU Head Coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcome said. “We had to try to come together as a defensive unit and it took some time.

“There’s a lot of pressure on this team to be (the team) they were last year, and they’re able to able to pull these games out not being the best that they can be.”

Fairfield senior Brittany Bare (Mason, Ohio/William Mason) converted a free-position attempt with 22:01 remaining to tie the game at 8-8. Over the next eight minutes, however, the teams combined for five turnovers (three by Fairfield, two by JMU) before Bare fouled senior Mary Kate Lomady (Abington, Pa./Abington), setting up a free-position attempt on which Lomady scored. Another Stags’ foul resulted in a free-position shot for Ancarrow, whose goal with 12:06 to play put the Dukes up 10-8.

Fairfield controlled the ensuing draw, but Ancarrow caused a turnover and 2:36 later fed a pass to junior Annie Brophy (Berwyn, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), who scored at 9:17. Fairfield again controlled the draw, but JMU junior Caitlin McHugh (Westminster, Md./Mercy) caused a turnover and Brophy picked up the ground ball. JMU maintained possession for nearly four minutes before McHugh scored off an Ancarrow pass for an insurmountable 12-8 Dukes’ lead with 4:53 to go.

Stags’ sophomore Amanda Best (Schenectady, N.Y./Guilderland) scored just 1:58 into the game to give Fairfield a 1-0 lead, but Ancarrow tied the game off a Lomady pass 4:48 into the match. Then an unassisted goal by junior Monica Zabel (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) just 28 seconds later put the Dukes ahead 2-1.

JMU never trailed after that point, although Fairfield tied the game at 6-6 (6:24 left in the first), 7-7 (25:54 in the second) and 8-8.

JMU held a 25-14 advantage on shots, but Fairfield sophomore goalkeeper Katie Keenan (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) made nine stops. Dukes’ redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Menghetti (Media, Pa./Penncrest) finished with four saves and also had two ground balls.

Other multiple-goal scorers for the Dukes included Lomady (3 goals, 1 assist), Brophy (2 goals) and junior Ashley Kimener (Oakton, Va./Oakton) (2 goals). Zabel had a game-high three assists in addition to her goal.

Fairfield was led in scoring by senior Katie Mackay (Salem, Conn./East Lyme) with three goals and an assist. Bare, Best and freshman Melanie Raso (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) each scored twice, and Best also had an assist.

Dukes’ junior Cally Chakrian (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) had a game-high four draw controls, and Kimener, Zabel and senior Meghan Wienecke (Baltimore, Md./Towson) each controlled two draws. Seniors Diana Apel (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg) had three caused turnovers and Caitlin Sullivan (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) had two CTs.