No. 8 Virginia Downs No. 7 JMU, 14-9

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – The No. 8 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (8-3) picked up a 14-9 road win at No. 7 James Madison (7-2) on Wednesday (March 20). at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg, Va.
 
Senior Avery Shoemaker (Wyndmoor, Pa.) led the Cavaliers with five goals and freshman Lillie Kloak (Ridgewood, N.J.) scored four goals in the victory over the defending national champions. Junior goalkeeper Charlie Campbell (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) made 15 saves. Halle Duenkel scored three goals to lead the Dukes. Both teams took 33 shots apiece and picked up 18 ground balls. JMU held a 15-10 edge in draw controls.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers broke a 3-3 tie by scoring five-straight goals in the first half and held an 8-4 advantage at halftime. The Cavalier defense kept the Dukes from scoring back-to-back goals in the second half, building up to the 14-9 victory.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“It takes an entire team to be able to beat a team as good as JMU. I am really proud to hold them to single digits. It wouldn’t have happened without everyone on the field stepping in and doing their job. I feel it wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it was a solid game. I feel that if we made one mistake, we usually didn’t make a second mistake right after it. Sammy [Mueller] was able to make some big plays at really critical times. When we really needed it, Avery Shoemaker stepped up and nailed that shot. It was really a team effort with everyone playing with each other and for each other.”
 
“I feel that when Charlie [Campbell] really had to make a save, she was able to find that save and our defenders were really able to rebound that ball pretty well. She is a goalie that will do anything to make a save. She throws her body like it doesn’t matter. I think she made some big plays and the defenders really bailed her out with some of those transitions. I think we did a nice job of shooting. We didn’t totally crush it. Statistically, it was very balanced, but then we end up winning by five. I think our shooters did a really nice job of making it count when they had the opportunity.”
 
“I thought Allison Shields played a great game. She was all over loose balls. She had big match-ups. She was huge in our transition game. And she was just a leader back there. You could hear her talking. She was organizing and directing and I thought she had one of her best games of the season”
 

NOTES

• Lillie Kloak had her fourth hat trick of the season. Her four goals are a career high
• Avery Shoemaker extended her streak of games in which she has scored a goal to 22 straight games. She had her sixth hat trick of the year
• Junior Nora Bowen (Lovettsville, Va.) had the second hat trick of her career, scoring three goals
• Junior Sammy Mueller (Pelham, N.Y.) matched her career high with five assists
• Sophomore Ashlyn McGovern (Phoenix, Md.) scored a pair of goals, her sixth multi-goal game of the year
• The loss snapped a 19-game home win streak for James Madison
• Senior Maggie Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) had a 16-game scoring streak snapped
• James Madison held an 18-15 edge in shots in the first half, but trailed 8-4 at the break

 
UP NEXT

• Virginia returns home in ACC play to host No. 13 Duke at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23 at Klöckner Stadium.