JMU Opens NCAA Championship Friday Night Against Duke

HARRISONBURG, Va. – #11 James Madison will meet 15th-ranked Duke in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship on Friday, May 9 at 6 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Nicholas Klos on the call. The game can also be heard on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network, with Dave Riggert providing play-by-play over the airwaves locally on ESPN Harrisonburg at 106.9 FM and 1360 AM, as well as online through the Varsity Network App.

#11 James Madison (14-4) vs. #15 Duke (12-5)
2025 NCAA Championship First Round
Friday, May 9, 2025
Opening Draw – 6 p.m.
Charlottesville, Va. | Klöckner Stadium

Game Information
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN Harrisonburg | Varsity Network
Live Stats
JMU Game Notes
Tickets

JMU History in the NCAA Championship

JMU is making its 21st appearance in the NCAA Championship and its 10th straight berth since 2015.
JMU is 17-19 all-time in the NCAA Championship, which includes a 6-4 mark in neutral-site games.
It's also JMU's second trip to Charlottesville for the NCAA Championship, as it beat host Virginia, 11-8, on May 10, 2001, in the first round of the tournament.
JMU has won at least one tournament game in four straight NCAA Championships, and in six of its last seven appearances.
The Dukes own two Final Four appearances (2000, 2018), which is highlighted by its 2018 national championship.

Series with the Blue Devils

Friday marks the seventh meeting all-time between the teams, with Duke leading 5-1.
It will be the third matchup between JMU and Duke in the NCAA Championship, with the Blue Devils capturing home wins in both 1999 and 2006.
That 2006 matchup was also the last time the two met, as Duke won that NCAA tournament game, 16-6.
This is the first neutral-site bout between the two.
Three of the six matchups have been decided by two goals or less, which includes JMU's lone win in the series, a 16-14 win in Durham on April 25, 2000.

What's at Stake

With a win, JMU advances to Sunday's second round where it would meet the winner of No. 5 seed Virginia and Long Island University.
A JMU victory would mark the fifth straight tournament JMU has captured a win.
Maddie Epke has scored a goal in 37 straight games.
For Duke, a win would be its first in the NCAA Championship since the 2022 first round. It would also potentially set up its first NCAA matchup against a fellow ACC school since the 2016 second round.

Scouting the Dukes

JMU enters the NCAA Championship with a 14-4 overall record and fresh off winning its first American Athletic Conference championship and 14th overall conference title.
The Dukes are currently riding an eight-game win streak entering the NCAA postseason.
Tewaaraton nominee Maddie Epke leads the Dukes with 63 goals and 21 assists for 84 points while leading the country in draw controls per game (12.63), having won 227 this season.
In fact, JMU can set a new team single-season record for draw controls, with 11. JMU has won 328 draws this season and won a record 338 just a season ago.
Ava Bleckley and Reese Cuviello lead the one of the nation's top defenses with Bleckley causing a team-leading 22 turnovers and Cuviello picking up 21 ground balls and winning 41 draw controls.
Adanya Moyer has started 14 games this season, posting a 9.88 goals against average and .487 save percentage, ranking 20th and 12th, respectively, in the country while leading The American in both areas.

Scouting the Blue Devils

Duke enters its second straight NCAA Championship with a 12-5 overall record.
The Blue Devils finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 6-3 league record but fell to Clemson in the quarterfinals.
It's also the 23rd overall appearance for Duke in the NCAA Championship, as it holds a 27-22 record in the national tournament.
Dukes has reached the quarterfinals 16 times and the semifinals on seven occasions.
Tewaraaton Nominee and Second Team All-CAA honoree Callie Hem leads Duke with 50 goals and five assists.
Fellow Second Team members Carly Bernstein and Kerry Nease follow, as Bernstein has tallied 39 goals and 29 assists while Nease has won a team-best 104 draw controls.