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James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Dukes Close Out Challenging Spring Slate
5/24/2019 3:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer
HARRISONBURG, Va. - After completing a remarkable mid-season turnaround in the fall of 2018, the James Madison women's soccer team continued to test its growth with an immensely challenging slate of exhibition matches this spring.
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Beginning on Feb. 23 with a matchup against 2018's national runner-up in perennial power North Carolina, the Dukes embarked on a spring gauntlet that saw them play a pair of teams that reached the 2018 College Cup, two more teams that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the Washington Spirit, which competes in the NWSL, the highest level of professional soccer in the United States.
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The genesis of such a daunting exhibition slate had its roots far earlier, dating back to an early-season non-conference match from before the Dukes' fall turnaround last season.
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"My intent [with the spring] was to make the girls uncomfortable and stretch us to find a different level," Head Coach Joshua Walters, Sr. said. "Last fall, when we played Penn State, the team felt nervy and didn't play to our potential in a 3-0 loss. I walked away from that game and told our staff that we have to grow the confidence and swagger of this team if we want to earn an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament in the future."
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With that goal in mind, Walters set out to push the Dukes against the highest-level competition he could find. In addition to North Carolina, the premier historical power in women's soccer, the Dukes played host to Georgetown, which dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to UNC in last year's College Cup, college soccer's version of the Final Four.
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The Dukes took on additional regional stalwarts in Virginia Tech and NC State, both of which reached the third round of last season's NCAA Tournament, and spent the evening of March 16 in Richmond facing the Washington Spirit, a squad of professional talent featuring forward Mallory Pugh, a bonafide star with the world champion United State Women's National Team who will represent her country at this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup.
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"The game against the Washington Spirit was an amazing experience for our players," Walters said. "To step out on the field with pros was surreal, as our girls had only seen many of their players on television. Seeing the joy and excitement our team and our fans had after that game was priceless as a coach."
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Walters has already seen the benefits of such a strong spring challenge on JMU's current roster as the Dukes head towards the fall. In all, JMU loses just one starter from the 2018 squad that finished 11-8-1 and reached its third CAA Final in six years, returning all five of their All-CAA selections in addition to Walters, who was named the CAA Coach of the Year.
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Junior Haley Crawford and sophomore Ginger Deel were each named First Team All-CAA, while junior Hannah McShea and freshman Sarah Gordon were tabbed to the Second Team and freshman Hannah Coulling earned Third Team honors.
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"A huge credit goes to the players for rising to the challenge and competing every day this spring," Walters said. "We went toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country and performed at a high level. They bought into this as a learning experience as we bettered ourselves. They took the challenge head-on and encouraged one another to fight for each other. I'm very excited for where we are now and where we're headed this fall."
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Beginning on Feb. 23 with a matchup against 2018's national runner-up in perennial power North Carolina, the Dukes embarked on a spring gauntlet that saw them play a pair of teams that reached the 2018 College Cup, two more teams that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the Washington Spirit, which competes in the NWSL, the highest level of professional soccer in the United States.
Â
The genesis of such a daunting exhibition slate had its roots far earlier, dating back to an early-season non-conference match from before the Dukes' fall turnaround last season.
Â
"My intent [with the spring] was to make the girls uncomfortable and stretch us to find a different level," Head Coach Joshua Walters, Sr. said. "Last fall, when we played Penn State, the team felt nervy and didn't play to our potential in a 3-0 loss. I walked away from that game and told our staff that we have to grow the confidence and swagger of this team if we want to earn an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament in the future."
Â
With that goal in mind, Walters set out to push the Dukes against the highest-level competition he could find. In addition to North Carolina, the premier historical power in women's soccer, the Dukes played host to Georgetown, which dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to UNC in last year's College Cup, college soccer's version of the Final Four.
Â
The Dukes took on additional regional stalwarts in Virginia Tech and NC State, both of which reached the third round of last season's NCAA Tournament, and spent the evening of March 16 in Richmond facing the Washington Spirit, a squad of professional talent featuring forward Mallory Pugh, a bonafide star with the world champion United State Women's National Team who will represent her country at this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup.
Â
"The game against the Washington Spirit was an amazing experience for our players," Walters said. "To step out on the field with pros was surreal, as our girls had only seen many of their players on television. Seeing the joy and excitement our team and our fans had after that game was priceless as a coach."
Â
Walters has already seen the benefits of such a strong spring challenge on JMU's current roster as the Dukes head towards the fall. In all, JMU loses just one starter from the 2018 squad that finished 11-8-1 and reached its third CAA Final in six years, returning all five of their All-CAA selections in addition to Walters, who was named the CAA Coach of the Year.
Â
Junior Haley Crawford and sophomore Ginger Deel were each named First Team All-CAA, while junior Hannah McShea and freshman Sarah Gordon were tabbed to the Second Team and freshman Hannah Coulling earned Third Team honors.
Â
"A huge credit goes to the players for rising to the challenge and competing every day this spring," Walters said. "We went toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country and performed at a high level. They bought into this as a learning experience as we bettered ourselves. They took the challenge head-on and encouraged one another to fight for each other. I'm very excited for where we are now and where we're headed this fall."
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Players Mentioned
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
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