RICHMOND, Va. - Goals by
Ashley Herndon and
Brittany Borum in the second half propelled the James Madison women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over the Rams of VCU at Sport Backers Stadium in Richmond on Sunday night.
After a scoreless first half, the Dukes came out of the break strong. The Rams blockedÂ
Sydney Braun-McLeod's shot attempt just 38 seconds into the second half, but the ball made its way to
Allie Bunner who came free on the right side of the field, dribbled past two defenders and sent in a cross to Herndon who hit a one-timer into the back of the net to put the Dukes up 1-0.
Seeing the first game action of her collegiate career, Richmond native
Brittany Borum doubled the Dukes' lead after subbing on just seven minutes earlier.
Allison Bortell pushed forward from the back line before passing the ball to
Rachel Ivey. Ivey then played in Borum who needed only one touch to put the Dukes ahead 2-0 in the 75th minute.
Jennie Sroba, who played the full 90 minutes, and the rest of the Dukes' defense managed to effectively subdue the high-energy VCU offense. The Rams' were out-shot 7-2 in the first half and 16-10 overall.
James Madison Head Coach
David Lombardo made full use of his bench as 18 of the 27 players on the roster saw playing time in the winning effort.
Turning PointThe Rams nearly tied the game in the 56th minute on a Kelly Graves shot that reached the back of the net, but an offsides call erased the would-be equalizer. The call allowed the Dukes to keep their 1-0 lead before adding some insurance with Borum's goal in the 75th minute.
Rising the Record BoardsAfter tallying her 18
th career assist at Virginia Tech to tie for 10
th in program history,
Ashley Herndon scored her 14
th career goal tonight, moving her into a tie for 23
rd in program history for career goals scored.
Senior SpotlightSenior goalkeeper
Ellen Forrest earned a clean sheet with five saves in the victory, marking the second in four games to start the 2015 campaign. She had three all of last year and 10 career entering the night.
Up NextWith no midweek games on the docket, the Dukes will have a chance to rest and regroup before they take on East Carolina on Friday, September 4th at 7:30 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader that includes the JMU men's soccer team taking on UNC Asheville at 5 p.m. at University Park.