#4 Dukes Shut Down Drexel in 15-2 Triumph

Sunday, April 8

Harrisonburg, Va.

Noon

James Madison University

11-1 (2-0CAA)

Drexel

3-9 (0-2CAA)

Drexel

James Madison

4/8/2018 4:07:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Fourth-ranked James Madison opened the game by scoring the first 12 goals and eight different players found the back of the net to lead the Dukes to a dominant 15-2 Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse win against Drexel on Sunday afternoon at Sentara Park.

The Dukes moved to 11-1 overall and 2-0 in CAA play, while the Dragons fell to 3-9 and 0-2.

Senior attacker Kristen Gaudian and senior midfielder Elena Romesburg each recorded hat tricks, as Gaudian had three goals, an assist, and three draw controls, and Romesburg tallied three goals and three ground balls. With her first goal, Romesburg joined Gaudian as a member of the 100-goal club, as she became the 22nd JMU player to accomplish the feat.

Junior attacker Hanna Haven, sophomore midfielder Halle Duenkel and sophomore midfielder Kelsey Reed each had two goals, while sophomore attacker Linnea Hughes recorded a game-best three assists. It marked career-best performances for both Reed and Hughes. Defensively, senior Rebecca Tooker and sophomore Emma Johnson each had three caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Haley Warden won three draws and matched Johnson and Romesburg with three ground balls.

Making her first career start, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Molly Dougherty made seven saves while allowing just two second-half goals in 60 minutes of action. She also had two ground balls and limited Drexel to just 1-of-5 on free-position shots.

JMU nearly doubled Drexel up in the shots department, at 27-14 (21-9 SOG). The Dukes also held advantages in draw controls (11-8), caused turnovers (9-7) and ground balls (18-14) while committing six fewer turnovers (12-18). Cassidy Delaney scored both goals to pace the Dragons.

Much like the CAA opener, JMU surged to a big lead early, holding the Dragons without a goal for the entire first half. JMU led 5-0 before a four-goal spurt in a span of 2:03 made it a 9-0 advantage with 7:16 to go. The Dukes ended the half by scoring with 75 seconds left to activate the running clock, leading 10-0 at the break.

JMU scored the first two in the second half to up its lead to 12-0 before the Dragons had back-to-back goals by Delaney. The Dukes scored three more down the stretch for the final margin. Additionally, all five of JMU's second-half scores were assisted.

COACH SHELLEY POSTGAME

WATCH I Hear from the winning coach as @JMUCoachShelley talked with LSN after the #CAALax win over Drexel. #DDP pic.twitter.com/dFDPiZ4xcl
— JMU Lacrosse (@JMULacrosse) April 8, 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROMESBURG
She needed just one for 100-career goals and wasted little time reaching mark, as Romesburg netted her first goal 8:07 into the game on a free-position shot. She scored three times in the game to also reach 40 goals for the year. She accomplished both 100 career goals and 40 scores on the year on her birthday.

UNDERCLASSMEN GETTING INVOLVED
For the third straight game, JMU emptied the bench, allowing the youth to get involved on the score sheet. Six of JMU's 15 goals and three of six assists came from reserves. The sophomore class accounted for five goals and three helpers, as Reed and Duenkel each had two goals, Logan Brennan had a goal and Hughes provided three assists.

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CONTINUING BEST START
JMU improved to 11-1, marking the program's best 12-game start in the 50-season history. The Dukes had previously begun five seasons at 10-2, most recently in 2010 when they finished with a program-record 17-3 overall mark. That year, JMU was the No. 5 seed for the NCAA Championship and reached the national quarterfinals.

UP NEXT
JMU hits the road for a pair of CAA games next week. The Dukes head to Williamsburg, Va., on Friday, April 13 to take on William & Mary at 5 p.m. before traveling south to Elon, N.C. to face Elon at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 15.