TRIBE 1, JMU 3
No. 7 James Madison University spoiled Senior Day for the College of William and Mary Sunday, pulling out a 3-1 victory against the Tribe (6-11, 4-3 CAA).
The College looked as though it would eke out an upset when it jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first
half. Junior midfielder Wesley Drew’s goal off a penalty corner came just four minutes into play.
The Tribe’s one-goal cushion evaporated two minutes before halftime, giving the Dukes the momentum
heading into the second half. JMU pulled ahead for good on a shot by Meghan Balin in the 42nd minute. The Dukes added an insurance goal in the 49th minute when they capitalized on a Tribe turnover.
“JMU is an excellent team,” Head Coach Peel Hawthorne said. “It was a very good test for our girls as the end of the season nears.”
JMU, the conference’s top team, outshot the Tribe 11-2 and held a 9-2 advantage in penalty corners.
TRIBE 2, VCU 0
The College recorded its first back-to-back conference wins Friday night when it beat Virginia Commonwealth
University 2-0 at Busch Field. The win clinched a berth in the CAA Tournament for the Tribe, one year after missing out the 2007 conference tournament.
“I am really proud of our ladies for staying tough throughout the game,” Hawthorne said. “To be able to compete in the CAA Tournament is very exciting.”
After a scoreless first half saw both defenses dominate play, VCU had a scoring opportunity early in the second half, but sophomore goalkeeper Carrie Thompson made a diving save to keep the Rams off the scoreboard.
From then on, the Tribe started to increase the pressure, and it paid off in the 50th minute when junior midfielder Kelsey Jackson finished a breakaway off an assist by redshirt freshman midfielder Mikala Savaides for her second goal of the season. Six minutes later the Tribe struck again, converting a penalty corner into points as sophomore midfielder Jenna Cinalli scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The College nearly scored again in the 63rd minute, but VCU goalkeeper Laura Baker denied the shot.
Baker turned back four of the Tribe’s six shots on goal, while Thompson saved all three of the Rams’ shots on goal en route to recording her second shutout of the season.
The Tribe travels to its eleventh and final non-conference opponent Longwood University Friday at 6 p.m. before wrapping up its CAA schedule at Old Dominion University Sunday afternoon.
Longwood will enter the match against the Tribe with a 8-10 ledger. The Lancers are 2-0 against the CAA this season with wins over Towson University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Monarchs have lost five of their last six match-ups and will face the no. 5 University of North Carolina the Saturday prior to the Monarchs contest against the College.