#8/6 Dukes Grind Out 13-11 Victory at High Point

Saturday, February 24

High Point, N.C.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

High Point

2/24/2018 4:57:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score Photo Gallery

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior midfielder Elena Romesburg tallied her third five-goal game of the season and James Madison women's lacrosse used a 5-0 run to bridge the halves en route to a 13-11 victory at High Point Saturday afternoon at Vert Stadium.

The Dukes improved to 4-0 on the season, marking its best start since 2011 when the team began 6-0. HPU fell to 1-2 this year, with both defeats coming at home to top-10 teams.

Romesburg tied her career high in goals and draw controls, as she finished with five scores on eight shots and five draw controls. Senior attacker Morgan Hardt recorded her first career hat trick with a career-best three goals, and senior attacker Katie Kerrigan set a new single-game best with six assists. Senior midfielder Haley Warden tied Romesburg with five draw controls, as she needs just five more to become JMU's all-time leader.

JMU out-shot the Panthers 32-24 (25-17 SOG) and also held leads in draw controls (15-11) and ground balls (13-12). HPU doubled up the Dukes in caused turnovers (8-4) and Jill Rall led the host's defensive efforts with a game-high 12 saves. High Point was paced by Emory Gaeng and Abby Hormes, who each had three goals.

Trailing 7-6 late in the first half, JMU produced five straight goals to gain an 11-7 advantage with 23:26 to go in the game. The Dukes held HPU scoreless for nearly 20 minutes during that span. JMU led by four on three occasions before the Panthers made a late rally with two straight goals before time expired.

QUOTING COACH SHELLEY
"I was really impressed with our team's resolve today, it was a dog fight," Head Coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe said. "We had to claw our way back into the game in the first half and to end the half one goal up was a testament to their resolve. We found nice connections early in the second half to build our lead, which allowed us to go a little deeper into our bench. High Point never gave up, they fought back and made it a tight game. I'm proud of the team's ability to win such a back-and-forth tough game."

PHOTO OF THE GAME - view full gallery

Elena Romesburg fights through traffic for one of her five goals on the afternoon.

ROMESBURG ON FIRE
Elena Romesburg has been a force all season, as she turned in her fourth straight game with at least four goals. She tied her career high of five in the HPU win, with three coming before the eight-minute mark of the first half. Romesburg has scored 19 goals and has 20 points, which leads the Dukes in both scoring categories.

"She's just an energizer bunny, she never gives up and she never stops working," Klaes-Bawcombe said. "Her skills show through in her ability to finish on the offensive end. She's just the real deal and a very balanced player."

MORGAN PROVIDES SPARK
Morgan Hardt had never scored more one goal in a single game entering Saturday's game at High Point. That changed quickly, as the senior scored twice before halftime, with her second giving the Dukes the lead for good. She recorded her third goal for the hat trick with just over 12 minutes remaining on a one-time shot from a Katie Kerrigan pass.

UP NEXT
JMU heads to Philadelphia on Friday, March 2 to face Temple. That game is set for a 2 p.m. start and will be streamed live on Owls TV.