HARRISONBURG, Va. – Tied 1-1 at halftime, Justina Intzes recorded a second-half brace to lift No. 18 Miami (Ohio) past James Madison, 3-1, on Friday afternoon in Mid-American Conference play at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
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JMU (8-6, 3-2 MAC) was set back in the fourth quarter with three cards in the frame, including two in the final five minutes. The RedHawks (8-4, 4-1 MAC) scored an empty-net goal with 2:41 remaining, their only shot of the fourth.
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Madelief Molier produced JMU's lone goal of the day, giving her 12 on the season. Goalkeeper
Molly Schreiner made four stops, allowing two goals in 56:54 of action in cage.
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For Miami (Ohio), Justina Intzes paced her squad with two goals, while Malena Sabez registered the game's opening goal on a penalty corner with assists from Berta Mata and Becca Lawn. Nicky Sjouken picked up the win with seven saves, facing eight JMU corners.
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How It Happened
- Sabez found the back of the net with a direct shot to the bottom left of the goal on a penalty corner halfway through the first, with the insertion by Lawn and stop by Mata.
- Less than a minute into the second quarter, an inlet pass from Ava Drexler-Amey deflected off multiple sticks before being batted in by Molier to tie the game at 1-1.
- Intzes tapped in a loose ball at the 9:39 mark of the third to give the RedHawks a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth.
- Trailing 2-1, JMU pulled Schreiner and put on Elena Giangaspero as an extra attacker. However, Miami (Ohio) took advantage of the empty net and a card handed out to the Dukes, with Intzes scoring from the right side of the circle to secure the 3-1 victory.
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Game Notes
- JMU and Miami (Ohio) were nearly even in shots (13-12), shots (8-7) and corners (8-6).
- Molier boasts a team-leading 12 goals, finding the back of the net seven times in the last six games.
- The loss was James Madison's first on a Friday since 2023 when it suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of No. 4 Louisville on Sept. 22.Â
Up Next
The Dukes will complete their four-game homestand when they welcome MAC-foe Massachusetts to town on Friday, Oct. 17. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.