Dukes Clinch CAA Tournament Berth Behind Ahlander’s Goal

Saturday, October 30

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

11-4-1, 5-2-0

Drexel

7-7-1, 3-3-1

Drexel

James Madison

Dukes Clinch CAA Tournament Berth Behind Ahlander’s Goal

10/30/2021 10:36:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – After James Madison and Drexel battled for over 70 minutes without a score, redshirt freshman Axel Ahlander ripped in a goal to give the Dukes a 1-0 victory on Saturday night at Sentara Park, and a berth into this year's Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

The Dukes are now 11-4-1 overall and 5-2 in league play while being a point out of first place in the standings. The Dragons fall to 7-7-1, 3-3-1 CAA.

JMU found the back of the net in the 72^nd minute, when Demitri Turner received a pass in the midfield and quickly sent it over to Tyler Clegg. Clegg, around the midfield circle, sent a pass to Ahlander in front of the 18-foot box who then teed up the shot that caromed off the crossbar and directly into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

A strong defensive performance aided the Dukes in the win, as they outshot the Dragons 7-1 through the opening 45 minutes. Drexel wasn't able to get their first shot off until the 41st minute. The strong defensive play of JMU was coupled with an even attack that saw eight different Dukes take shots, led by Ahlander's four.

Graduate student goalkeeper Martin Leu picked up his sixth shutout of the season, making a save on the lone Drexel shot on goal.

Game Notes

Tyler Clegg becomes the 10^th player this season to record an assist.
Since giving up six goals in the season opener, the Dukes have only allowed eight goals on the season heading into the season finale.
The win snapped a three-match winless streak.

Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
"To say I am proud of this group is an understatement. This team has been through the ringer with a number of different obstacles and they showed their character tonight going down a mean and still finding a way to get three points. The CAA has been very good overall this season so to qualify as one of the four teams is a testament to this group. Drexel is a good and well coached team that we respected. It was great to get a win against them and clinch."

Up Next
The Dukes will host Northeastern on Saturday, Nov. 6 in the regular season finale at 7 p.m. at Sentara Park. The match will be streamed on FloSports and JMU will be recognizing its six seniors as part of Senior Day.