No. 2 Dukes Fall to No. 9 Maryland in College Park

Sunday, March 10

College Park, Md.

11 a.m.

James Madison University

6-1

Maryland

6-1

James Madison

Maryland

3/10/2024 1:29:00 PM | Lacrosse

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – James Madison lacrosse suffered its first loss of the season in a defensive battle, falling to Maryland 11-8 in College Park on Sunday afternoon.

Defense was the name of the game for the Terrapins (6-1) as the Dukes (6-1) were held to their lowest number of goals so far this season.

Isabella Peterson led the Dukes' offense with four goals, while Maddie Epke, Katelyn Morgan, Savannah Derey and Olivia Mattis all notched one. Kacey Knobloch led JMU with two assists and Epke, Morgan and Josie Pell recorded one each.

JMU's defense was headed by Ava Bleckley, who secured two ground balls and caused six turnovers in the outing. Maggie Clark recorded two ground balls and two caused turnovers while five different Dukes tallied one ground ball and one caused turnover each.

Libby May, Eloise Clevenger and Chrissy Thomas led the charge for Maryland's offense with four points each. Hannah Leubecker and Hailey Russo tallied two points each and Kori Edmondson and Shaylan Ahearn both recorded one.

Kennedy Major, Brianna Lamoureux and Sophie Halus led the charge the Terrapins' defense. Major secured two ground balls and caused four turnovers, Lamoureux recorded four ground balls and a caused turnover, and Halus secured two ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Maryland was in control of the draw circle with a 14-9 draw control margin. Epke notched four draw controls for the Dukes, Peterson and Bleckley had two each, and Knobloch recorded one. Lamoureux led the circle for the Terrapins with four draw controls, Halus and Major notched two each, and three other Terps each recorded one.

Both teams' goalkeepers had big showings in the net on Sunday. Caitlin Boden made 11 saves on 32 shots faced for JMU, posting a .500 save percentage, and Emily Sterling made 14 saves on 30 shots faced for Maryland, posting a .636 save percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – JMU 4, Maryland 2
Epke opened scoring for the Dukes with a quick goal just 46 seconds into the game. Edmondson notched one for Maryland, but Mattis and Peterson both found the back of the net to give JMU a 3-1 lead. Clevenger scored for the Terrapins while Morgan notched one for the Dukes to close out the frame.

Second Quarter – JMU 5, Maryland 5
Both defenses were the name of the game as they held each team off the board for the first five minutes of the frame. Derey was set up by Knobloch for a JMU goal almost 6 minutes into the frame, followed by three goals from Maryland to tie it up going into the half.

Third Quarter – Maryland 8, JMU 6
The defense held strong again to begin the third frame. Peterson gave JMU a 6-5 lead but was followed by three consecutive goals from Maryland to give the Terps their first lead of the game.

Fourth Quarter – Maryland 11, JMU 8
Maryland continued its third quarter run with two quick goals to open the final frame. A Terrapin green card resulted in a man-up goal from Peterson to give her a hat trick on the day. May scored her fourth goal of the day for the Terps to extend the Maryland lead to four. Peterson notched another for the Dukes with 3:21 to play but Maryland held strong for the rest of the game.

GAME NOTES

Maryland extended its lead in the all-time series, 43-6, and broke a three-game JMU win streak.
The Dukes have been undefeated with six or more wins just five times in program history, and three of those times Maryland has handed JMU its first loss of the season.
Peterson now holds sole possession of the JMU all-time record for most free-position goals (48).
Knobloch is now 12th in all-time assists in JMU history (62).
Clark recorded a career-high two caused turnovers in the outing. She previously recorded one in four different games. She also secured a season-high two ground balls.
Bleckley caused a career-high six turnovers on Sunday. Her previous career high was one, which she achieved five times this season.

UP NEXT
No. 2 James Madison (6-1) will begin conference play when they return home to take on the East Carolina Pirates (3-3) on Saturday, March 16. Opening draw is set for noon.