No. 19 JMU Dominates Towson 12-0

Sunday, October 2

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

(7-3, 1-1CAA)

Towson

(2-9, 0-2CAA)

Towson

JMU

10/2/2016 5:11:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery @JMU_FieldHockey FH on Facebook FH on Instagram Highlights

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A staunch defense and a pressing attack led No. 19 James Madison field hockey to its first shutout of the year with a 12-0 win against Towson in Colonial Athletic Association play.

JMU (7-3, 1-1 CAA) kept Towson (2-9, 0-2 CAA) off the board in shots (50-0), corner attempts (14-0) and goals (12-0). The Dukes peppered the Tiger goalkeepers with 31 shots-on-goal.

Sophomore forward Miranda Rigg led the way with four goals, a career high and third single-game showing of at least three goals this season. This is the first time a Duke has scored four goals in a game since Tori Lindsey posted four at Delaware on Sept. 26, 2010.

Six other Dukes posted goals, including a career-high two from sophomore Ashley Gippe and a career-high tying two from junior Melanie Kusakavitch. In her first collegiate action, freshman Rachel Maizel scored her first goal, slotting the ball into the left corner.

Half of the day's goals were assisted, led by the first two assists of sophomore Corey Mayer's career and a career-high tying two assists from freshman Florien Sondern. Freshman Niamh Dixon earned the first point of her collegiate career with an assist to Gippe in the 14^th minute of play.

Now, JMU hits the road for a pair of road CAA contests next weekend. The Dukes travel to Northeastern on Friday, Oct. 7 for a 6 p.m. contest and to Drexel on Sunday, Oct. 9 for a 2 p.m. game.

SERIES VS. TOWSON
JMU extended its winning streak against Towson to 22 games. The Dukes are 22-1-0 all-time against the Tigers. The 12-goal margin is the largest JMU margin-of-victory in the series history.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Dukes' 50 shots are the most shots they have taken all season. It is also the most single-game shot attempts in the last 13 seasons.
JMU's 14 corner attempts is tied for the third-highest mark since Christy Morgan returned to the helm in 2014.
This is the first time since Oct. 15, 2014 the Dukes have held an opponent without a corner attempt (W, 8-0 vs. Towson).
Today's shutout is the first for JMU since a 3-0 win over Drexel in the 2015 CAA semifinals.

ROUNDING UP FIRSTS

Kyler Zampiello saw her first official minutes in the cage, relieving Sara Kraeutler at halftime.
Rachel Maizel earned the first playing time of her collegiate career and scored her first goal over four minutes played.
Niamh Dixon earned her first collegiate point when she made a backwards pass to Ashley Gippe for the score in the first half.
Ashley Gippe tallied the first multi-goal game of her career with back-to-back goals in the 14^th and 19^th minutes of the game.
Corey Mayer made the first two assists of her collegiate career, making quick passes to Melanie Kusakavitch and Rachel Maizel in the second half.

TWEET OF THE DAY

@JMU_FieldHockey - Former WR Rock McCarter '10 is pulling for you! Keep it up! #GoDukes #ProudAndTrue pic.twitter.com/tjXFVYGNws
— JMU Duke Club (@JMUDukeClub) October 2, 2016

UP NEXT
JMU heads north for a two-game CAA swing against Northeastern and Drexel. The Dukes face the Huskies on Friday at 6 p.m. riding a two-game win streak against them. The Dukes take on the Dragons on Sunday at 2 p.m. in a rematch of a 2015 CAA semifinal game (JMU won 3-0).