Balanced Attack Leads Dukes Past Longwood, 5-2

Friday, October 6

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

(3-8)

Longwood

(2-11)

Longwood

James Madison

10/6/2023 9:00:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Five Dukes scored while nine registered points as James Madison field hockey overpowered Longwood 5-2 on Friday night at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.

Head Coach Christy Morgan's squad move to 3-8, ending its seven-game losing skid. The Lancers drop to 2-11 and head back to Farmville, Va. for a three-game homestand, starting with Ball State on Sunday, Oct. 8.

Four Dukes scored for the first time this season: sophomore Alice Roeper, senior Lauren Satchell, freshman Brynna Hill, and senior Sarah Beers. Graduate student Morgan Merritt netted her second of the year, while freshmen Ava Drexler-Amey, Azul Covarrubias, Maddy Shale and senior Mia Julian added assists.

Kylie Levine recorded both goals for the Lancers on two shots. Zoe Tierney tallied a point with an assist in the loss.

Senior Brandelynn Heinbaugh picked up the win while junior Katie Fricke made a pair of saves and allowed one goal in 30 minutes of action. At the other end, Santia McLaughlin made nine saves, facing eight JMU penalty corners.

How It Happened

The Dukes found the back of the net three times in the first quarter with goals from Merritt (8:10), Satchell (3:40) and Hill (0:13).
In the second frame, Beers collected a rebound for a score to put JMU up 4-0 with under three to play.
Longwood responded less than thirty seconds later on a penalty corner situation to cut the deficit to three.
Both teams tightened up defensively in the third period, with neither side letting up a goal.
Roeper sent a backhand blast past the Lancers' goalkeeper at the 11:06 mark of the fourth quarter for the Dukes' final goal of the game.
Levine answered quickly during a scramble in front of the JMU net, however, the Dukes kept Longwood at bay for the remainder of the game.

Game Notes

James Madison leads the all-time series versus Longwood, 24-3. Additionally, the victory marked the Dukes' 23rd straight against the Lancers.
JMU held the advantage in shots (18-5), shots on goal (14-4) and penalty corners (8-5). Coming into the game, the Dukes had not earned more than six corners and had not recorded more corners than their opponent in a single contest in the 2023 season.
James Madison saw five players score for the first time since playing Saint Francis last year on Sept. 23. Seven Dukes tallied goals that game in a 9-2 victory.
With five goals and four assists, the Dukes have tallied 14 points in back-to-back games. The program has recorded double-digit points in consecutive contests for the first time since halfway through last season with 27 against Saint Francis (9g, 9a – Sept. 23) and 12 at No. 20 Duke (4g, 4a – Sept. 25).
The win was JMU's first since edging Columbia 3-2 on Sept. 3.
Longwood Head Coach Miranda Rigg is not the first JMU FH alumna to coach the Lancers against the Dukes. JMU Hall of Fame member Dee McDonough did so in 1977 and 1978. Head Coach Leotus Morrison and the Dukes won both encounters, 2-1 and 1-0.

Quoting Head Coach Christy Morgan
"I feel like we played a connected dynamic game today. You saw the skill come out of all the players that I knew was within them. I'm proud of the resilience, the passion that this group has for the game and the grit that they played with. Well done JMU Hockey!"

Up Next
The Dukes will wrap up the weekend at home against Duke on Sunday, Oct. 8. The game is set for 1 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.