JMU Beats No. 12 Liberty in Epic Comeback, 3-2

Sunday, September 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

(5-3)

Liberty

(4-3)

Liberty

James Madison

9/18/2022 3:40:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Down 2-0 late in the first quarter, the Dukes dug deep and scored three unanswered goals to beat No. 12 Liberty, 3-2, Sunday afternoon at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.

James Madison is on a three-game winning streak, bringing its record to 5-3. Liberty falls to 4-3 and will face UConn in East Hartford, Conn. on Friday, Sept. 23.

Senior midfielder Emily Harrison scored a career-best two goals, including the equalizer, before classmate Eveline Zwager netted the gamewinner near the end of the first half. Junior Brandelynn Heinbaugh started and earned the win. She now boasts a 3-2 record through the team's first eight games.

How It Happened

The Flames struck first with a cross from Danielle Rhodes to Pima Iturraspe halfway through the opening period.
Iturraspe found the back of the net two minutes later with a shot across the goal to the top left corner.
Harrison responded for JMU with thirty seconds to go in the first quarter thanks to an assist from sophomore Cassidy Strittmatter.
With under two minutes to go in the half, Harrison snuck one past LU's goalkeeper on the close side to make it 2-2.
Zwager dribbled the ball through multiple defenders to free up space for a laser to the bottom left as James Madison led 3-2 heading into the break.
Liberty didn't allow a single shot and earned three penalty corners in the third quarter but the JMU defense held strong.
The Flames pulled their goalie with less than seven minutes to go in favor of an extra attacker. However, the Dukes maintained possession for the majority of the remaining time to earn the win.

Game Notes

James Madison and Liberty are now even in the all-time series, 3-3, since 2015.
JMU recorded more shots (9-7) and penalty corners (5-4).
Zwager's score was her second gamewinner and eighth of her career.
The last time the Dukes won after being down by multiple goals was 2017 when they trailed Old Dominion by two on Aug. 30. James Madison went on to score twice in regulation before winning 3-2 in penalty strokes (2-1).
JMU has won back-to-back games over ranked teams for the first time since 2017 when they defeated No. 25 Liberty (3-1, Aug. 26) and No. 23 Old Dominion (3-2 (2-1 PS), Aug. 30).
The Dukes' three straight wins are the program's first such streak since topping No. 20 Delaware (4-0, Oct. 15), Temple (2-0, Oct. 17), and Drexel (6-1, Oct. 22).
James Madison remains undefeated at home (4-0) so far this season. Moreover, the Dukes' last loss in Harrisonburg, Va. came in 2021 when No. 4 Louisville came away with a 1-0 overtime win on Oct. 24.

Quoting Head Coach Christy Morgan
"Today was just a hard-fought competition against a top-tier team," said Morgan. "They were in the final four last year, came in second in the nation. Really proud of this group, I think that's what made us great today was our fight, skill, connection, and finish."

Up Next
The Dukes will complete their three-game homestand with a test against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Sept. 23. The contest against the Red Flash is set for 3 p.m. and will not be streamed.