A goal in the ninth minute of play Wednesday night proved to be the difference in James Madison field hockey’s 1-0 win over American in the 2014 home finale at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
The Dukes improved to 9-4 this season while the Eagles fell to 7-6.
With 7:58 having ticked off the clock, the Dukes earned their first corner of the game. After the insertion, junior forwardDanni Wilson (Port Elizabeth, South Africa/Collegiate) came in hard on the right side to corral the ball and drove to the right side of the circle. She made a quick pass to junior midfielder Saskia Chelmowski (Berlin, Germany/Gustav-Heinemann Oberschule), who was waiting in front of the goal to make the shot and give JMU a 1-0 lead just 8:07 into the game.
Senior goalkeeper Hannah George (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) earned the victory (6-3), making several key saves to preserve her first shutout of the season, finishing with five. Kate McBeath took the loss in goal (7-6) after allowing the lone goal of the evening and making three saves.
JMU was edged by American 10-9 in goals, including 5-4 in shots-on-goal. The Dukes, however, held a 4-2 advantage in corners.
The Dukes close out the 2014 regular season with five consecutive games on the road. They begin on Sunday, October 19at No. 8 Duke in Durham, North Carolina, and action starts at 1 p.m.
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Chris Graham
