Dukes Roll to 4-1 Win Over College of Charleston

Friday, October 14

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

7-8-0, 4-2-0CAA

College of Charleston

9-6-1, 2-3-1CAA

C. of Charleston

James Madison

10/14/2016 10:23:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score @JMUWSoccer 2016 Schedule 2016 Statistics Photo Gallery Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison scored two goals in the opening two minutes and added a third midway through the first half on Friday evening, rolling to a crucial 4-1 victory over College of Charleston in Colonial Athletic Association women's soccer action at Sentara Park.

The Dukes improved to 7-8 (4-2 CAA) with the win, their third in a row and fourth in five matches, solidifying their control of third place in the conference standings and putting themselves three points clear of fourth place with just three league matches remaining. Charleston dropped to 9-6-1 (2-3-1 CAA) in the loss.

Senior forward Ashley Herndon led the high-powered JMU attack on Friday, assisting on the opening goal just 22 seconds into the contest before scoring one of her own 1:35 later and burying a penalty kick in the 25th minute.

Forward Haley Crawford continued her stellar freshman campaign as well, assisting on both opening goals, then putting the contest away with a solo goal of her own just 1:29 after halftime.

Crawford provided the catalyst right away for the Dukes, pushing the opening kickoff up the left wing before cutting inside between a pair of defenders and finding Herndon with a low cross. The senior laid down a perfect pass inside the box to sophomore Steffi Page, who blasted a shot to the far post that put JMU ahead after just 22 seconds.

Less than two minutes later, Crawford and Herndon combined again on an almost identical sequence, with Crawford pushing up the wing and pulling a pass back to Herndon. After a touch to shake a defender, Herndon fired a low shot from 20 yards that doubled JMU's advantage after only 1:57 of play. Herndon would complete her brace in the 25th minute, hammering home a penalty kick after senior Allie Bunner was upended on a run through the box, giving the Dukes a 3-0 lead.

Charleston was able to pull a goal back in the 30th minute to cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into halftime, but Crawford would seal things in the 47th minute. The freshman intercepted a Cougar pass in the midfield before beating a defender on a 30-yard dribble and finishing to the bottom-right corner from 15 yards out to push the lead back to 4-1.

The statsheet proved much more even than the final score, as both sides finished with three corner kicks and 11 shots, though JMU put six on frame to the Cougars' four. Freshman goalkeeper Hannah McShea made three saves for the Dukes to preserve the victory, while Charleston's Lauren Killian tallied a pair of her own.

QUOTING COACH LOMBARDO
"We played a complete match tonight. We came out with a ton of energy and, obviously, got them on their back foot early. Ashley Herndon and Haley Crawford had great matches for us again and we got some really good play out of our backline. We think we're playing the way we're capable of playing at the right time in the season."

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
With her stellar outing on Friday evening, senior forward Ashley Herndon continued her march up the JMU career top-10 lists:

Goals: 4th, 35 (3rd, 39; Therese Wolden, 1995-98)
Assists: 6th, 26 (5th, 27: Samantha Andersch, 1993-96)
Points: 4th, 96 (3rd, 101; Therese Wolden, 1995-98)

UP NEXT
The Dukes will play their final home match of the regular season on Sunday, October 16, when they welcome UNCW to Sentara Park for a 1 p.m. contest. Live audio coverage will be provided by MadiZone HD SportsNet presented by the JMU Alumni Association.

UNCW is 8-4-3 on the season, including a 2-2-2 mark in CAA play, after dropping a 1-0 decision at Towson on Friday afternoon. Prior to the contest, JMU will recognize its six seniors: Bri Klein, Allie Bunner, Sydney Braun-McLeod, Ashley Herndon, Allison Bortell and Jennie Sroba.