No. 8 Virginia Heads to Harrisonburg Wednesday For a Top-10 Match-up at No. 10 JMU
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 8 Virginia women’s lacrosse team will head to Harrisonburg, Va., Wednesday for a contest with its in-state rival, No. 10 James Madison. Opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers enter the week with an overall record of 5-3 after their previous three contests were decided by one goal. Virginia dropped an 8-7 decision at No. 5 North Carolina (March 12), before earning a come-from-behind, 14-13, victory over No. 16 William & Mary (March 16) and a 10-9 win over No. 15 Princeton (March 19).
Juniors Ainsley Baker, Charlie Finnigan, Julie Gardner and Josie Owen lead the Cavaliers’ attack, combining for 112 of Virginia’s 141 points. The quartet has all reached double figures in points this year, while freshman Maddy Keeshan has also tallied 11 points (5g, 6a). Gardner leads the way with 32 points on 18 goals and a team-best 14 assists, while Finnigan has a team-best 25 goals. Owen has recorded 27 points (17g, 10a) and Baker has notched 19 goals.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Kim Kolarik has a team-best 21 ground balls, while posting an 11.03 goals-against average and a .411 save percentage. Her 60 saves rank 22nd nationally.
James Madison (6-1) is coming off its first loss of the year, an 11-7 decision at No. 6 Loyola (Md.) Saturday. The Dukes are led by Casey Ancarrow, who has tallied 19 goals and five assists this season. Mary Kate Lomady has recorded 22 points on 15 goals and seven assists, while Monica Zabel has 21 points (9g, 12a).
In goal, Alex Menghetti has posted a 7.74 goals-against average, which ranks 12th nationally. She is stopping 46.5 percent of shots faced.
Virginia leads the all-time series with its in-state opponent, 27-11-1, but James Madison owns the most recent victory. The Dukes used a game-winning goal with 11 seconds remaining at Klöckner Stadium last year to earn an upset win, 10-9, over the Cavaliers.
On the road, the Cavaliers are 11-6 against the Dukes. The last time Virginia dropped a game at James Madison was a 12-5 decision in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2000. The Cavaliers’ last regular-season loss in Harrisonburg came in 1995, an 11-2 contest to then-No. 3 JMU.
Virginia will return to action on Saturday, as it returns home to host No. 3 Duke in an Atlantic Coast Conference match-up. Opening draw is slated for 1 p.m., at Klöckner Stadium.