#23 JMU Clamps Down, Rallies for 8-5 Win at Liberty

Thursday, April 1

Lynchburg, Va.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

5-3

Liberty

5-5

James Madison

Liberty

4/1/2021 5:45:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score

LYNCHBURG, Va. – James Madison lacrosse used a relentless defensive effort in the second half, leading the way for an 8-5 comeback victory at Liberty on Thursday afternoon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

The Dukes improved to 5-3 on the year, while the Flames dropped to 5-5. JMU also moved to 2-0 all-time against Liberty.

JMU found itself in a 4-2 hole at halftime, as Liberty made seven saves over the first 30 minutes. Out of the break, Isabella Peterson sparked the offense, scoring consecutive goals 2:18 apart to tie the game at 4-4.

The Dukes scored the first five of the second half, as Daria Lucchesi would score twice and Katelyn Morgan's threading the needle for a goal made it a 7-4 lead with 5:54 to play. Liberty ended a drought of 27:45 with a goal by Brooke Bryan with 4:09 to play, but Rachel Matey answered at the other end, completing the scoring with her goal less than a minute later.

JMU led shots by a 28-16 count due in large to play in the circle. The Dukes controlled the draw by a margin of 11-4, which including 7-1 in the second half. Matey won six of her eight draw controls in the second half alone, including the final five of the contest. The eight draws tied a career high.

Defensively, Charlotte Smith had a career-high three caused turnovers, Mairead Durkin had two caused turnovers and three ground balls and Carolyn Thistlewaite caused a pair of turnovers. Emma Johnson also collected a game-high four ground balls, as she moved into third place all-time at JMU in that career category.

Molly Dougherty finished the final 41 minutes of the game in net for the Dukes after Kat Buchanan got the start. Dougherty made five saves on eight shots on goal and added a ground ball off a blocked shot on the free position.

On the offensive side, JMU assisted on seven of its eight goals, as Peterson and Lucchesi paced the Dukes with two goals and one assist each. Kacey Knobloch scored once and added two assists, and both Matey and Katelyn Morgan scored a goal with an assist.

Liberty was led by Bryan, who scored a game-high four goals on five shots. Jennifer Soriero was solid between the pipes for the Flames, making 11 saves and holding JMU without a free-position goal.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

JMU out-shot Liberty 28-16 (19-10 SOG), holding the hosts to just five shots on goal in each half.
The Dukes controlled nearly every hustle stat, dominating on the draw (11-4) and collecting more ground balls (15-10). The teams tied in caused turnovers (10-10).
Neither team found a rhythm inside the 8-meter, as Liberty was just 1-for-5 on free-position shots and JMU went 0-for-8.
Emma Johnson surpassed Gail Decker (2001-04) for third place all-time at JMU in career ground balls. Johnson now has 157 for her career, and Decker collected 156 in her time as a Duke.
JMU has now won 33 straight games when out-shooting its opponent and 16 in a row when committing fewer turnovers.
Isabella Peterson has now scored a goal in all 13 collegiate games she's played in, and Daria Lucchesi moved to an 11-game goal streak.
Kacey Knobloch also has a 10-game points streak.

QUOTING HEAD COACH SHELLEY KLAES
"Any road win is a good win during the pandemic. It takes a lot to get off the bus and perform and we're excited to get our first road win. Liberty played really hard and forced us to dig deep to win this game. It was a huge defensive effort, holding them to one goal in the second half. Our draw unit of Bella, Rachel, Taylor and Lizzy is coming along nicely. Bella did a nice job directing the ball and putting it in space that Rachel ran onto, and that's teamwork. Really excited to see that aspect of our team coming together."

UP NEXT
JMU has a little over a week off before returning to action on Saturday, April 10 when it faces Hofstra in a neutral-site matchup in Sparks, Md. The game, which will not count toward the CAA standings due to the divisional format, is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at the US Lacrosse Complex.