CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison field hockey was tied 1-1 with No. 3 Virginia heading into the fourth quarter, however, the Cavaliers scored three goals on penalty corners in the final frame for the 4-1 home victory at Turf Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Dukes (4-3) did not earn a corner in the second half compared to UVA’s (4-0) eight. In total, the Cavaliers held an advantage in shots (20-5) and penalty corners (11-2).
Ava Drexler-Amey scored the Dukes’ lone goal – the first of her junior campaign and the second in her career. Goalkeeper Molly Schreiner made three stops in the loss.
Emma Watchilla, Mary Adams, Mia Abello and Riley Savage all found the back of the net for Virginia. Abello, Lauren Kenah and Sloan Davidson each added an assist, while netminder Nilou Lempers came away with three saves in the win.
How It Happened
• The opening frame was a stalemate, with only one shot recorded in the first 15 minutes of action as the score read 0-0.
• JMU turned away three consecutive penalty corners early in the second, with Schreiner making one save in the defensive stand.
• The Dukes attacked on the other end with a pair of corners later in the period but were denied both times, keeping it a scoreless game at the intermission.
• Off a quick reset, Watchilla drove into the left side of the circle and delivered a reverse shot to the bottom right of the goal to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead with 2:43 remaining in the third.
• Undeterred, Drexler-Amey sprinted through the UVA defense, splitting two defenders before sending it past Lempers to tie the game with 14 seconds left in the frame.
• The Cavaliers regained the lead on a penalty corner as Adams tapped home a shot from Abello at the 9:45 mark of the fourth.
• Less than two minutes later, a direct shot from Abello found the back of the net on a corner with assists from Kenah and Davidson to grow UVA’s advantage to 3-1.
• With under seven minutes to play, Riley swiped in a rebound in front of the goal to build a 4-1 Cavaliers’ lead.
Game Notes
• The Dukes’ defense posted a first-half shutout for the fifth time in seven games this season.
• With Drexler-Amey’s score, JMU now has six goal scorers and nine players who have registered a point.
Up Next
James Madison hits the road for a pair of games in the Great Lakes State. First, the Dukes will open Mid-American Conference play with a test at Central Michigan on Friday, Sept. 19. That Sunday, JMU will square off against a nationally ranked Michigan squad in Ann Arbor.
— JMU Athletics —
