HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison saw its 2018 campaign come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Dukes dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision to Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament final at Sentara Park.
The Dukes, who will finish their turnaround season with an 11-8-1 record after a 1-6 start to the year, battled throughout against the powerful Hofstra (15-5-1) offense, yielding just 12 shots to JMU's 9, but the Pride put six attempts on frame while the Dukes tallied just a pair.
Junior
Lizzy Lazzaro led the JMU offense with three shots, while
Haley Crawford and senior
Hailey Stein added a pair of shots each. Junior goalkeeper
Hannah McShea racked up four saves on the afternoon.
HOW THEY SCORED
Hofstra
14' | The Pride opened the scoring just 13:24 into the match, taking advantage of a free kick awarded just outside the box. After JMU blocked multiple attempts, Lucy Porter chipped home the opener from 12 yards out on the left side of the box.
57' | Sabrina Bryan put the match out of reach just before the hour mark, burying a rebound from Jenn Buoncore at close range to make it 2-0.
QUOTING COACH WALTERS
"I am so proud of the work and commitment of this team on the year. Although this result wasn't what we wanted, this season was a tremendous success. This group of seniors left a foundation for us to build on and I am eternally grateful for that. I look forward to building on this year! Our future in Harrisonburg is bright!"
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Following the match, junior
Haley Crawford, sophomore
Ginger Deel and freshman
Sarah Gordon were honored for their performances throughout the CAA Tournament, earning spots on the 11-player CAA All-Tournament Team.
SENIOR SALUTE
The contest marked the final match in a JMU uniform for the Dukes' seven seniors:
Brianne Beard,
Brittany Borum,
Stephanie Hendrie,
Olivia Miller,
Hailey Stein,
Christine Tack and
Carmen Thomas.
All told, the 2018 senior class racked up 43 victories across its four seasons at JMU, taking home the 2015 CAA Championship and the 2018 CAA Regular Season Championship.