Peterson’s Big Day Leads #17 JMU to 13-8 Win at High Point

Saturday, February 22

High Point, N.C.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

3-1, 0-0CAA

High Point

1-2, 0-0BSC

James Madison

High Point

Peterson’s Big Day Leads #17 JMU to 13-8 Win at High Point

2/22/2020 4:39:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score Highlights

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Freshman Isabella Peterson scored a career-high six goals, and #17 James Madison netted 11 of the game's first 13 goals en route to a 13-8 win at High Point in non-conference women's lacrosse action Saturday afternoon at Vert Stadium.

The Dukes improved to 3-1 on the year, while the Panthers fell to 1-2. JMU also beat HPU for the fourth straight time, moving to 5-1 in the all-time series.

Peterson recorded a hat trick in each half, finishing her fourth collegiate game with a career-high seven points off six goals and an assist. Seven different players scored goals in the win, as sophomore Daria Lucchesi had two goals, both on free-position shots, and junior Katie Checkosky tallied four points off a goal and season-high three assists.

In the midfield, JMU dominated the draw, as sophomore Rachel Matey had a career-high eight, which was one more than HPU's entire team. Senior Maddie McDaniel also won six draws, to go with a goal. Senior Emma Johnson paced the defense with three caused turnovers and two ground balls. Senior Kelsey Reed had three ground balls with a goal, and five other Dukes had at least two ground balls. Redshirt junior Molly Dougherty made seven saves for her third win between the pipes in 2020.

High Point was led by a two-goal, two-assist day by Abby Hormes. Rachel Foster and Ashley Britten also scored twice.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In a game featuring two zone-defense teams, scoring came at a premium in the first half. After a quick strike from Peterson 52 seconds in, neither team scored until HPU tied it with 13:28 left in the first.
JMU answered with three straight goals over the final 9:38 to grab a 4-1 halftime lead.
The Dukes scored the first three and seven of eight to begin the second half, which built their lead to 11-2 with 15:19 to play.
HPU answered with four in a row to climb to within five, but never got any closer down the stretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

JMU held a 27-23 lead in the shots department, which included a 22-15 advantage in shots on goal.
The Dukes more than doubled up High Point in draw controls, at 15-7, and tied in ground balls, at 17 apiece. HPU held a 9-7 lead in caused turnovers.
Both teams went 3-of-7 on free-position shots.
High Point had three fewer turnovers, with 16, as compared to JMU's 19.
The Dukes were solid in clears, going 22-of-23, while the Panthers were 21-of-24.
JMU conceded just one goal in the first half, marking the seventh time since the start of the 2019 season the Dukes have allowed only one goal in a single half.
Peterson became the first JMU player to score six goals since Kristen Gaudian had six versus Virginia Tech on Feb. 14, 2018.
Two players rose in JMU's all-time career charts, as Johnson moved into fifth place with 95 caused turnovers, and Dougherty jumped to 10th with 317 saves.
Peterson and sophomore Lizzy Fox continued their goal-scoring streak, as each have netted scores in every game this season.
Saturday marked the 26th straight win when JMU outshot its opponent.

QUOTING SHELLEY KLAES-BAWCOMBE
"The first half was a tale of two zone teams, trying to figure out how to break through the zone defenses. Once we did that in the second half, the team relaxed a little bit and was able to find success in the attacking end. We're a team learning how to control tempo and how to make smart decisions. Our draw unit stepped up in the second half and gave us a lot of great possessions."

"Isabella [Peterson] did a great job taking advantage of space. She did a great job of shooting around the goalie and she's creating a good connection with Katie [Checkosky] on the crease. The first half, our defense played really disciplined and limited all of High Point's options. We lost a little bit of that in the second half when they went on their run, but because our draw unit was so strong, we were able to maintain the lead."

UP NEXT
JMU is off next week and returns to action on Wednesday, March 4 when it hosts #25 Penn State. The opening draw is set for 4 p.m. at Sentara Park.