NEWARK, Del. – After having their four-match winning streak snapped earlier in the week, James Madison men's soccer rebounded with a 3-0 shutout win against Delaware on Saturday night at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.
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The Dukes now move to 5-2, 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association, as the Blue Hens fall to 0-5-1, 0-2 CAA. JMU picked up their fourth shutout of the season.
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The Dukes didn't waste much time getting on the board, as
Clay Obara took the first JMU shot of the night in the fourth minute and found the top left corner of the goal to give JMU an early 1-0 lead.
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Obara fired another shot in the 10
th minute, followed by
Rodrigo Robles in the 19
th minute, before
Luca Erhardt added to the Dukes' lead by scoring his team-high third goal of the season in the 23
rd minute for a JMU 2-0 lead. Robles picked up his fifth assist on the goal, a career-high for the redshirt-sophomore. The JMU defense held firm to close out the first half, with
Martin Leu picking up two saves on three Delaware shots, and the Dukes would go into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
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The second half started out aggressive for the Dukes, as they took four of the five shots within the first 15 minutes. The Dukes then scored again in the 68
th minute, as
Nate Corley scored his second goal in as many CAA games off a long pass from
Demitri Turner down the left side for a 3-0 lead.
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Just like the first half, the Blue Hens tried to create scoring opportunities after the goal but the Dukes' back line did not falter. JMU would secure the 3-0 victory, as Leu picked up his second shutout of the season.
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Game Notes
- The Dukes were outshot for the first time all season, 13-12.
- JMU has started the season off with 10+ shots in every game.
- Six of JMU's 12 shots were on goal.
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Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
"Tonight we were offensively efficient. We didn't generate quite as many chances as normal, but we created high probability chances and scored a few quality goals. It was nice to get the shutout, but it wasn't a defensive masterpiece by any stretch. Credit to Delaware as they created a lot on the night as well."
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Up Next
The Dukes will return home to host in-state rival Virginia on Tuesday, Sept. 21 with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game will be streamed on FloSports and the first 100 students in attendance will receive a JMU Soccer pint glass.
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