James Madison Reigns Victorious in Head-to-Head Battle with UConn

Saturday, February 17

Sparks, Md.

Noon

James Madison University

3-0

UConn

0-2

UConn

James Madison

James Madison Reigns Victorious in Head-to-Head Battle with UConn

2/17/2024 5:03:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score

SPARKS, Md. – No. 3 James Madison lacrosse bested No. 24 UConn in a down-to-the-wire 15-14 victory on Saturday afternoon in Sparks, Md.

The Dukes (3-0) recorded their third consecutive game with three players registering hat tricks while the team went 3-of-3 in free-position goals (1.000) to top the Huskies.

Sophomore Maddie Epke and redshirt-junior Maggie Clark led the charge for the James Madison offense. Epke scored four goals and tallied one assist while Clark scored a goal and recorded three assists. Seniors Isabella Peterson and Taylor Marchetti both recorded hat tricks; Peterson's third of the season and Marchetti's second.

Peterson secured seven of the Dukes' draw controls while Epke secured five and Marchetti snagged one. Epke also notched two free-position goals while Peterson tallied one.

The Duke's defense was led by sophomore Courtney Quirk as she secured four ground balls, as well as Marchetti who secured two ground balls and caused two turnovers. Senior Alex Pirisino recorded three ground balls, while four different Dukes each secured two ground balls and caused a turnover.

Sophomore Caitlin Boden recorded a career-high 16 saves while facing 42 shots and notching a .533 save percentage.

The UConn offense was led by senior Susan Lafountain with four goals and an assist. Redshirt-sophomore Rayea Davis and graduate student Jenna Giardina both recorded hat tricks and one assist. Senior Abby Charron and graduate student Kate Shaffer each scored twice and tallied an assist.

The Huskies dominated the draw control 20-12, with five each from graduate students Rylee Brown and Madelyn George and three each from sophomore Barlow Clark-Schoeb and junior Riley Daly.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – James Madison 5, UConn 3
Epke opened scoring for the Dukes followed by two consecutive goals from Marchetti to give JMU an early 3-0 lead. UConn responded quickly with three consecutive goals, including a man-up goal from Lafountain. Epke notched a free-position goal and Marchetti recorded a hat trick to close out the first frame.

Second Quarter – James Madison 10, UConn 4
James Madison dominated scoring in the second quarter while Boden allowed just one goal from UConn. Epke and Peterson each found the back of the net twice in the frame while Knobloch scored once.

Third Quarter – James Madison 11, UConn 7
The third quarter was a defensive battle as UConn fought to cut JMU's lead. Charron scored twice while Lafountain scored once. Clark recorded the lone goal for the Dukes in the third frame.

Fourth Quarter – James Madison 15, UConn 14
Senior Katelyn Morgan and Peterson each scored to open the last frame and give the Dukes a 13-7 lead. UConn quickly responded with a free-position goal from Lafountain and a goal from Giardina to cut the lead to 13-9. Knobloch found the back of the net followed by three consecutive goals by the Huskies, including a free-position goal from Shaffer, to make the score 14-12. Sophomore Josie Pell scored followed by two free-position goals from UConn in the last two minutes of play in a late comeback effort. Four saves by Boden in the final minute of the game sealed the victory for the Dukes.

GAME NOTES

James Madison leads UConn in the all-time series 9-2 with eight consecutive wins.
The Dukes have won each of the eight neutral-site matchups and one at home with their only two losses coming on the road.
Peterson is now tied-first in all-time shots in JMU history with 462.
Graduate student Kacey Knobloch improved to bring tied-16th in all-time assists in JMU history with 54.
Quirk secured a career-high four ground balls in Saturday's outing. Her previous career-high was two against North Carolina on Feb. 10, 2024.
Alex Pirisino secured three ground balls, a career-high for the defender. She previously recorded one ground ball in five games.
Clark recorded a career-high three assists as well as a career-high four points. Her previous career-high was three points which she achieved versus Richmond on April 5, 2023.
Boden made a career-high 16 saves in Saturday's outing, with her previous career-high being eight on Wednesday versus Virginia Tech.

UP NEXT
The No. 3 Dukes (3-0) will return home to take on Towson (1-1) on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. at Sentara Park. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+.