No. 19 JMU Wins 3-1 at Towson in CAA Opener

Friday, October 2

Towson, Md.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

(7-3, 1-0CAA)

Towson

(2-9, 0-1CAA)

James Madison

TOWSON

10/2/2015 8:56:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. – Three Dukes scored during corner plays on Friday night to power No. 19 James Madison field hockey to a 3-1 win at Towson in the Colonial Athletic Association opener.

JMU (7-3, 1-0 CAA) held possession for much of the game, earning 21 corners in the contest compared to TU's (2-9, 0-1 CAA) four. All four combined goals in the game were scored during set corner plays.

The Dukes outshot the Tigers 38-6, including a 21-5 advantage in shots on goal. Despite Towson's early 1-0 lead thanks to a corner play in the sixth minute, Madison held the Tigers scoreless over the final 64:23 of the game.

Sophomore Erica Smedberg tied the game at 1-all after 18:12 had ticked off the clock, picking up a rebound and sending it into the back of the cage after a corner shot from redshirt senior Taylor West was saved by TU's Megan Boyle. Both West and senior Loes Stijntjes scored in the second half to push JMU ahead for good.

No. 19 JMU continues its northward trend with a stop at No. 13 Delaware on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. in a rematch of the 2014 CAA Championship game.

QUOTING COACH MORGAN
"It was a messy night on a messy field. We had some great combination play, which led to a lot of opportunities, but we just didn't finish. We are really excited to get back on our normal surface, which allows us to use our strengths."

TWEET OF THE GAME

Great job ladies!!! @JMU_FieldHockey
— Stephanie Hutchinson (@dukes_fan1981) October 2, 2015

NOTEWORTHY STATS

Sophomore Erica Smedberg scored the first goal of her career.
Senior Adrienne le Vatte had her first multi-assist game of the season, inserting the ball on a pair of corners that resulted in goals from senior Loes Stijntjes and redshirt senior Taylor West.
This marked the second game this season the Dukes have committed at least 35 shots, making a season-high 38 attempts at Towson.

CAREER CHARTS
Redshirt senior Taylor West scored her 47th career goal on Friday, pulling to within two goals of a tie for sixth on the JMU career goal chart (Erin Marovelli, 49 Gs). She now has 110 career points, just two points away from sole possession of sixth on the JMU career point list (Dalynn Patrick, 111 pts).

UP NEXT
No. 19 JMU heads to No. 13 Delaware for a Sunday afternoon contest, beginning at 1 p.m. on Oct. 4. The Dukes hold a 9-8 series edge over the Blue Hens, including a 5-2 mark when playing at UD.