Dukes Hold Off UConn for 11-10 Victory, Klaes-Bawcombe Ties Wins Record

Sunday, February 19

Sparks, Md.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

3-1

UConn

1-1

Connecticut

James Madison

Dukes Hold Off UConn for 11-10 Victory, Klaes-Bawcombe Ties Wins Record

2/19/2017 5:36:00 PM | Lacrosse

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SPARKS, Md. – The first NCAA women's lacrosse game at the new US Lacrosse facility did not disappoint, as James Madison staved off a late Connecticut rally for an 11-10 triumph on Sunday afternoon at Tierney Field.

The Dukes completed their season-opening, four-game road trip with a 3-1 record, while the JMU win dropped the Huskies to 1-1. The win was the 118th of Head Coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe's JMU career, tying her with Dee McDonough for the most wins in program history.

JMU thwarted the UConn attack for much of the game, conceding just one goal over a span of more than 39 minutes to bridge the halves. Trailing 4-3, JMU scored six of seven to take a 10-5 lead. With the Dukes ahead 11-6, the Huskies mounted a furious comeback over the final four minutes, scoring four straight to bring them to within a goal, at 11-10, with 18 seconds to play.

After a draw-control win by Warden, JMU quickly turned it over to Connecticut. In a last-second effort to force overtime, the Huskies' shot whistled wide with two seconds left to lift JMU to its third straight win.

Junior midfielder Elena Romesburg turned in a solid game in all areas, finishing with two goals, one assist, a career-high five ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover. Romesburg was one of four Dukes to record multi-goal outings, as sophomore midfielder Hanna Haven had two goals and an assist, and junior attacker Kristen Gaudian and freshman midfielder Maddie McDaniel each scored twice. The two tallies by McDaniel were the first two of her career.

Junior midfielder Haley Warden scored one goal, added an assist and won a game-high five draw controls, while junior attacker Katie Kerrigan added an assist. Junior defender Rebecca Tooker contributed three draw controls, two caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls, and senior midfielder Hannah Jablonski tallied three ground balls, two ground balls and two draws. Senior goalkeeper Emily Poelma improved to 3-1 in the cage after making nine saves on 19 shots on goal. She also collected a career-high four ground balls.

The Dukes held a slim 29-26 shots advantage, but the Huskies edged JMU in shots on goal, 19-18. Madison won 13 of 23 draw controls and had a 26-19 lead in ground balls, while both teams caused 13 turnovers. Jacqueline Jordan scored a game-high four points on two goals and two assists for Connecticut.

POST-WIN INTERVIEWS

WARDEN CONTINUES RISE IN DRAW-CONTROL DEPT.
Haley Warden added a game-high five draw controls to her career total, which now stands at 89. She now ranks 16th all-time at JMU in career draws, as she passed former Duke Ali Curwin (86). She needs 11 more draw controls to become just the 13th player in JMU history to reach 100.

DEFENSE POWERING DUKES
For the second straight game, JMU's defense held its foe without a goal for an immense amount of time, which allowed the Dukes to seize the lead. Trailing 4-3, JMU held UConn without a goal for 21:44 to take a 7-4 lead. After conceding the goal, JMU forced UConn to go scoreless for an additional 17:33, which gave way for an 10-5 JMU advantage.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR JMU LACROSSE
Last season, the Dukes played in the first NCAA tournament game on the West Coach, facing off against Stanford at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. On Sunday, JMU's matchup with Connecticut was the first NCAA women's lacrosse game that was played at US Lacrosse's Tierney Field.

UP NEXT
JMU opens its home slate next Saturday, Feb. 25 when it hosts High Point at Sentara Park. The opening draw is set for 1 p.m. and admission is free.