Pair of Dukes Score to Push Past Towson

Thursday, October 14

Towson, Md.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

5-7-1, 2-2-0

Towson

7-5-2, 2-3-0

James Madison

Towson

10/14/2021 9:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. – A pair of Dukes found the back of the net in a back-and-forth second half that resulted in James Madison coming away with a 2-1 victory over third-place Towson on Thursday night at Tiger Field.

The Dukes move to 5-7-1 and 2-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while Towson is now 7-5-2, 2-3 CAA.

JMU controlled the tempo through the early going of the match, rarely allowing Towson to possess the ball in their attacking half of the field. The Dukes had their first shot on goal in the ninth minute as Iris Rabot's free kick sailed into the arms of Riley Melendez. The Dukes' defense held tall in the first half against the second leading scorer in the CAA, Nia Christopher, limiting her to only one shot. Sophia Verrecchia had an opportunity to give JMU the advantage going into halftime, but her header off Rabot's free kick missed wide.

JMU held a 6-4 advantage in shots at the break and took both corner kicks of the first half.

The Dukes remained in control of the tempo against Towson in the second half, continuing to create chances and scoring opportunities for the Dukes. Hannah Coulling and Ashby Larkin both had shots during the 61^st and 68^th minutes, respectively, but both went wide.

In the 70^th minute, the Dukes finally were able to convert on one of those chances, as Rabot was able to flick the ball to Ebony Wiseman who found a clearing in front of the goal and fired the ball into the far corner for a 1-0 lead.

TU responded with their own goal minutes later, but the tie didn't last long as the Dukes scored seconds later when Amanda Attanasi's shot hit the crossbar and rebounded directly to Ginger Deel who headed it in for a 2-1 lead.

The Dukes held firm to keep Towson off the board for the remainder of the half as they came away with their 19^th win in 20 matches.

Game Notes

Ginger Deel's goal was the 23^rd of her career, moving her into a tie for 15^th place in program history.
The Dukes outshot Towson 12-7, with six shots being put on goal.
JMU is 4-1 in games they score first in.

Quoting Head Coach Joshua Walters, Sr.
"I am thrilled for the team to get that result tonight as Towson is a quality team. The girls executed the game plan well and overall, it was a great team performance. We will enjoy this tonight but tomorrow our focus shifts to UNCW"

Up Next
The Dukes return home to welcome UNCW, who sits in second place in the conference, to a 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday, Oct. 17.