Prolific Offense Leads JMU to Blowout Win Against William & Mary

Friday, April 23

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

8-4, 2-1CAA

William & Mary

3-8, 0-3CAA

William & Mary

James Madison

Prolific Offense Leads JMU to Blowout Win Against William & Mary

4/23/2021 8:36:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison lacrosse had 11 different players score goals, and it dominated nearly every statistical category to cruise to a 21-8 Colonial Athletic Association victory against William & Mary on Friday evening at Sentara Park.

The 25th-ranked Dukes won their third straight, improving to 8-4 on the year and 2-1 in CAA play, while the Tribe dropped to 3-8 and 0-3. JMU swept the season series with W&M, claiming a 14th straight triumph in the series.

JMU's 21 goals tied a series record for most goals scored against the Tribe, matching its total from the 2018 game.

Isabella Peterson led the way with a season-high five goals with five draw controls. Katie Checkosky turned in her best outing , tallying a career-high eight points off two goals and a career-best six assists. She hit her career high by halftime, scoring both of her goals and dishing five assists in the first half alone.

JMU got its offense rolling early, due in large to its solid play in the circle. JMU won 12 of 17 draw controls in the first half and held a commanding 23-8 advantage for the game.

Four other Dukes turned in multi-goal games, as Daria Lucchesi tied her career high with three goals. Lizzy Fox, Kacey Knobloch and Brittany Bill each found the back of the net twice, as Fox added five draw controls, and Bill scored her the first the first goals at home in her career.

JMU assisted on 14 of its 21 goals, as Emma Greenhill dished out a career-high three assists and Katelyn Morgan had a pair of helpers.

Defensively, Emma Johnson had two caused turnovers and three ground balls, and Mairead Durkin had two each of caused turnovers, draws and ground balls. Rachel Matey won a game-high seven draw controls and collected three ground balls. Goalkeepers Molly Dougherty and Kat Buchanan combined for 11 saves, with Dougherty making eight stops.

After a quick William & Mary goal to start the game, JMU kicked its offense into high gear, netting the game's next 10 goals in an 18-minute span to lead 10-1 with 9:06 remaining in the half. The Dukes briefly activated the running clock before taking a 12-4 lead into the break.

JMU used a string of four straight goals to take a 17-6 lead with 18:19 left, as the Dukes kept the running clock going for the final 20:15.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

JMU once again dominated the shots department, out-shooting W&M, 41-24 (34-19 SOG). It was one off JMU's season high, which it set last week when taking 42 shots in Williamsburg.
JMU won 23 of 31 draw controls, which including an 11-3 mark in the second half.
Both teams had six caused turnovers, while the Dukes led in ground balls by a 20-14 margin.
William & Mary had just seven turnovers, to JMU's 10.
The Dukes were 16-of-16 on clears while the Tribe was 16-of-18. Both of the visitor's failed clears were caused by Durkin interceptions.
W&M was solid from the 8-meter cashing in all five free-position shots. JMU had a 3-for-7 clip on the free position.
The Tribe was led by Belle Martire, who scored three goals.
JMU tallied more than 20 goals for the third time this season and won by double digits for the fifth time in 2021.

CAREER WATCH

Johnson added two more caused turnovers to her career total, as she sits at 115. That's just four shy of tying Haley Warden (2015-18) for the JMU record of 119.
Checkosky was lights out on her passing, and her career-high six assists moved her up to 13th all-time at JMU with 55 for her career.
Matey entered a career top 20 Friday, as she tied Ali Curwin (2012-15) for 20th with 86 draw controls.

QUOTING COACH SHELLEY KLAES
"I'm really proud of the Dukes, it was a total team effort today. We came out hard against a huge opponent in William & Mary. Our team was ready today and wanted to send a message that we're hungry and on a mission."

UP NEXT
JMU closes the regular season on Sunday, April 25 when it hosts Elon. The opening draw is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on Lax Sports Network. It's Senior Day and the Dukes will honor Emma Johnson, Charlotte Haggerty, Elizabeth Murphy, Daria Lucchesi and Sarah Reilly prior to the game.