Dukes Clipped by Villanova in Overtime

Sunday, October 1

Conshohocken, Pa.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

(2-8)

Villanova

(7-4)

James Madison

Villanova

10/1/2023 3:25:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. – James Madison owned a 3-1 advantage halfway through the third quarter, but Villanova clawed its way back with three goals in the second half and the overtime winner to top the Dukes, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon.

JMU falls to 2-8 after losing its seventh consecutive game for the first time in program history. The Wildcats (7-4, 3-0 BIG East) look to remain unbeaten in conference action as they battle Liberty (10-1, 3-0 BIG East) on Oct. 6 for the top spot in the league.

Senior Tori Carawan set career highs in goals (two) and points (five) with a pair of goals and an assist in the loss. Freshman Maddy Shale scored for the first time in her career, while junior Cassidy Strittmatter netted her second of the season. Besides Carawan, five other Dukes added assists: senior Mia Julian (two), freshman Azul Covarrubias (one), graduate student Morgan Merritt (one) and Lauren Satchell (one).

In goal, senior Brandelynn Heinbaugh and VU's Emma Leppert each made four saves in 62:21 minutes of action.

Amanda Middleman struck twice for the Wildcats, while Amanda Middleman recorded the game winner.

How It Happened

The Dukes struck first as Covarrubias connected with Carawan who maneuvered around the Wildcat goalkeeper for the score at 10:12 in the opening period.
Merritt fired off two shots on cage late in the first but was denied both times by Leppert.
The second quarter was a defensive battle, as both teams fought to kill off green cards. The Dukes held on to their 1-0 edge heading into the break.
Just over a minute into the third quarter, Merritt ripped a shot from the top of the circle that was deflected in off the stick of Strittmatter.
The Wildcats responded with a goal from Middleman four minutes later with a helper from Emma Schwarz.
Undeterred, Carawan found a diving Shale on a fast break to put JMU ahead 3-1 at the 8:28 mark. However, less than a minute later, Villanova cashed in on a penalty corner to trail by one, 3-2, halfway through the third.
The Wildcats tied the game at three apiece on another corner with just over three minutes to go in the third.
Five minutes into the fourth, Satchell and Julian worked to find Carawan for her second goal of the game to give the Dukes a 4-3 edge.
A relentless VU attack resulted in a tie game at 4-4 with a goal from Middleman during a scramble in front of the net with 4:43 left on the clock.
in the waning minutes, Villanova's Raina Smolij was given a yellow card, while sophomore Skyler Brown picked up a green card, however, neither team could capitalize on the open field.
Julian had a great opportunity in front of the net late in regulation, but her shot was saved by defender Hannah Barsky with eight ticks remaining to force overtime.
In the extra period, Heinbaugh left her line to stop Middleman on a breakaway, but the ball found its way to Mitchell for the game winner at 62:21 to give the Wildcats the 5-4 home victory.

Game Notes

JMU leads the all-time series against Villanova, 3-1.
Ironically, the Dukes lost in overtime on the same field in 2022 to No. 13 Syracuse, 2-1, on Oct. 2.
Both teams registered the same number of shots (14-14), saves (4-4) and penalty corners (6-6).
James Madison's loss was its second in overtime, fourth after leading and fifth by one goal this season. The program has gone 0-5 in overtime games the past two seasons.
With her performance today, Carawan (5g, 2a) is up to 12 points in her senior campaign, second only to Julian (4g, 6a) with 14.
The Dukes' six assists are the most for the program since producing nine against Saint Francis last season on Sept. 23.
Shale's goal marked the second game in a row in which a freshman has netted their first career goal.
Coming into the game, JMU was last in the country in penalty corners per game with 2.67 per contest. However, the Dukes earned three in the first 10 minutes.
The Dukes' scoring output tied for their most goals in 2023, having netted four in a 4-2 season-opening win at William & Mary on Aug. 25.

Quoting Head Coach Christy Morgan
"Hard fought game – some great connections. Proud of our growth from last game! We gained trust and respect for each other and played with it."

Up Next
The Dukes return to Harrisonburg to host Longwood (Oct. 6) and Duke (Oct. 8). Both games will stream on ESPN+.