Late Rally Not Enough for Dukes in 16-14 Setback at #1 North Carolina

Saturday, February 4

Raleigh, N.C.

Noon

James Madison University

0-1

North Carolina

1-0

James Madison

North Carolina

Late Rally Not Enough for Dukes in 16-14 Setback at #1 North Carolina

2/4/2017 3:25:00 PM | Lacrosse

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Top-ranked North Carolina utilized an 8-0 run to bridge the halves, and James Madison's rally in the final 14 minutes came up short in a 16-14 season-opening, women's lacrosse loss on Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

The Dukes (0-1) set the tone early, opening the game scoring four of the first five goals. They led 8-5 late in the first half, but the defending national champion Tar Heels (1-0) held JMU without a goal for over 18 minutes, scoring eight goals during the stretch to take a 13-8 lead with 16:12 to play in the second half.

After teams traded goals to make it 14-9, junior attacker Kristen Gaudian led the Dukes on a 5-1 run, scoring goals on three of them, to trim the deficit to 15-14 with 5:52 remaining. UNC answered 30 seconds later to make it 16-14, and the Dukes were never able to find the back of the cage down the stretch.

Gaudian and senior attacker Margaret Tucker Fogarty each scored a career-high four goals in the first start of both of their careers. Three other Dukes scored goals, as sophomore midfielder Hanna Haven and junior midfielder Haley Warden each had two goals and two assists. It was Haven's first game scoring in any capacity. Freshman midfielder Halle Duenkel notched two goals in her first game as a collegian, while junior attacker Katie Kerrigan dished out a career-high three assists.

Senior goalkeeper Emily Poelma turned in a career afternoon, making 16 saves on 32 shots faced. She opened the game strong, stopping five of UNC's first six shots and seven of the first 10 to help JMU mount a first-half advantage.

The Tar Heels were led by Marie McCool, who tallied a game-best eight points off a career-high six goals and two assists. Maggie Bill netted a hat trick with three scores, and Molly Hendrick added two goals.

UNC held a 41-29 shots advantage, including a 32-24 lead in shots on goal. The Heels had control in the midfield, winning 22 of 32 draw controls, led by Sammy Jo Tracy's 13 wins. UNC turned the ball over 16 times, compared to JMU's nine, and the Dukes tallied nine caused turnovers, led by Warden's three, which tied her career high.

QUOTING COACH KLAES-BAWCOMBE
"We focused on one play at a time," Head Coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe said. "We knew UNC was going to score, so were weren't afraid of their offense. We played so hard all over the field. On the attacking end, we shared the ball so well with eight assists on our 14 goals. It was a total team effort, and we did this despite being dominated on the draw. We let them go on the 8-0 run but we never backed down. We made a change in subbing and it gave us a spark, allowing us to mount a comeback."

A DAY OF FIRSTS
After graduating eight senior starters off the 2016 roster, there was no doubt the lineup would look drastically different. Eight players made their first career starts Saturday, with most of them playing impactful roles in the narrow defeat.

Four Dukes scored four points on the afternoon, including first-time starters Gaudian (4g), Fogarty (4g) and Haven (2g, 2a). Duenkel (2g) was the first player to record multiple goals, doing so in the first 15 minutes of the game. Kerrigan (3a), who entered the day with three career assists, matched that total in one game, with two coming in the first half. Poelma made the most of her first start with a career-best 16 saves.

POELMA WITH A BIG FEAT IN THE CAGE
Poelma stopped half of No. 1 UNC's shots on the afternoon, making 16 saves on 32 shots faced. The 16 stops were five more saves than JMU made in any game last season and the most dating back to start of the 2009 season.

"What was working [early on] was the defense," Poelma said. "Carolina was forced to shoot at angles which allowed me to see the ball better, so we were all in it together as a unit. Playing UNC is always fun, and the energy was high on the defensive end."

SCORING RECORD IN SERIES
JMU's 14 goals were the most it has ever scored against North Carolina in the eight-game history. It bested its 13 goals it scored on Feb. 29, 2000 - a 13-5 win against the Tar Heels. It was also a series record for combined goals (30), beating the previous mark of 23 (UNC 14, JMU 9) on April 11, 2001.

GAME OF RUNS
JMU opened the game on a 4-1 run, but with UNC trailing 8-5, it scored eight straight and held JMU scoreless for over 18 minutes to take the lead. The Dukes cut it back to one late, using a 5-1 surge over eight minutes to make it a 15-14 game. The final run came during the last five minutes, in which neither team was able to score, giving UNC a 16-14 win.

UP NEXT
JMU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 11 when it travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on Big Ten foe Michigan. The Wolverines are led by former JMU coach Jennifer Ulehla, who guided the Dukes to the 2000 NCAA Final Four.