West's Hat Trick Fuels 6-2 Win for No. 19 JMU at William and Mary

Friday, October 23

Williamsburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

(12-4 (5-0CAA))

William & Mary

(5-11 (1-4CAA))

James Madison

William & Mary

West's Hat Trick Fuels 6-2 Win for No. 19 JMU at William and Mary

10/23/2015 10:18:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Redshirt senior Taylor West posted her fifth career hat trick on Friday night to lead No. 19 James Madison field hockey to a 6-2 victory at William and Mary.

The win clinched a spot for the Dukes in the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association tournament as they remained undefeated in CAA play (5-0) and moved to 12-4 overall. The Tribe fell to 5-11 overall with a 1-4 mark in CAA play.

West had a team-high six points on three goals, partnering up with sophomore Hannah Hall for two and freshman Melissa Wilken for one. West's six points on the night pushed her into a tie for fourth place on the JMU career point chart (124), surpassing Liz Sanders' 121 career points and matching Erin Marovelli's mark. West also moved ahead of Sanders in career goals, now at 53 for her career, to take fifth place on the JMU career.

Wilken had five points of her own against the Tribe, adding two goals to her assist. She became just the sixth Duke in program history to eclipse 25 points as a freshman. She ranks fifth all-time among freshmen with 26 points, just one point shy of being in a three-way tied for third all-time.

JMU scored the first six goals of the contest, including a score from senior Kristen Reitano, before the Tribe tallied a pair over the final four minutes of the game. William & Mary, however, held the advantage in shots (14-11) and shots on goal (9-8), leading to sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kraeutler's seven saves in the victory.

The Dukes head home for their final two regular-season contests, beginning with No. 5 Virginia on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m.

QUOTING COACH MORGAN
"We started the game on fire and finished when we had the opportunity to finish. I'm really proud of our growing poise and presence! This team is hungry and continues to commit to greatness, and we still have more within us. Now we have the weekend to rest and enjoy the other JMU teams on campus – go Dukes!"

CLIMBING THE CHARTS

Taylor West moved into a tie for fourth all-time in JMU career points (124).
West also moved into fifth all-time in career goals (53).
Melissa Wilken moved into fifth all-time in freshman-season points (26).

TWEET OF THE DAY

Let's cap this week off right with some victories from @JMU_FieldHockey, @JMUWTennis, and @JMUWSoccer! #GoDukes #ProudAndTrue
— JMU Duke Club (@JMUDukeClub) October 23, 2015

CAA LANDSCAPE
With the win, JMU moved to 5-0 in CAA action and maintained possession of first place in the league standings with one CAA game left to play. The Dukes have clinched a spot in the 2015 CAA tournament (Nov. 6-8) and can secure the No. 1 seed and right to host with either a win against Hofstra OR a loss by the Pride to either Drexel or William and Mary.

UP NEXT
With the road portion completed, JMU heads home for its final two games of the regular season. The Dukes welcome in No. 5 Virginia on Friday, Oct. 30 for a 6 p.m. contest before celebrating Senior Day on Sunday, Nov. 1 at noon in their regular-season finale.