James Madison held a five-goal lead against Maryland in the final seconds last Saturday. Still, the Dukes’ sideline was anxious, eyes on the scoreboard as they awaited the game’s end.

When the clock hit zero, James Madison’s players exploded off the sidelines. Goalkeeper Molly Dougherty met them on the field, bear hugging attacker Isabella Peterson as the team surrounded them, brimming with excitement.

“That’s a win for the entire program,” coach Shelley Klaes said. “Over 50 years of lacrosse, we’re a program that hasn’t been afraid to put Maryland on our schedule. A lot of teams struggle to get something out of that game and at JMU, we love that game. We’ve created a great rivalry and we love it.

James Madison and Maryland have met 46 times since 1975. Saturday’s victory marked the Dukes’ first win in the series since 2003 — and only their fourth over the Terrapins all-time. The win sparked an “awesome feeling of accomplishment,” Klaes said.

But the Dukes didn’t hit their stride right away — a recurring struggle this season. Against UNC, James Madison trailed by three at the half. The Dukes were down two at the break when they faced Rutgers. Maryland and James Madison traded two-goal leads during the first and second quarter, eventually ending up tied 6-6 at halftime.

Instead of fading like they did against the Tar Heels and Scarlet Knights, however, the Dukes surged in the second half. They outscored the Terrapins 7-2 in the last 30 minutes en route to a 13-8 victory. Klaes said she’s encouraged the team to enter the second half “hungry and strong.”

“We’ve been working to improve how we come out of the gate in the first quarter and the third quarter [after] having some slow starts early in the year and wanting to attack them,” Klaes said. “We are really confident in our defensive game, but we recognize that, at this level, we’ve got to attack the game.”

James Madison has gone 4-0 since mid-March, including a streak of three straight wins against nationally ranked teams. Now the Dukes get stronger as the game goes on. They outscored Virginia 6-4 and Towson 6-2 in the second half.

Redshirt sophomore Isabella Peterson has starred on attack this season, notching 40 goals so far — just five shy of her total of 45 from last season. She ranks in the top 15 nationally in goals per game.

James Madison historically has been viewed as a defensive team, Klaes said, but the Dukes’ offense has stepped up.

“Isabella Peterson has become a force not only on the draw, but also on the offensive end,” Klaes said. “For her to be putting up five, six goals over the last couple games [even though] some of our opponents have had really strong defensive teams — I’m proud of our ability to have multiple people step up, but [also to] produce an athlete like Bella, who is showing her dominance.”

As the offense has gained traction, the Dukes’ defense holds steady. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Dougherty, a sixth-year senior, has been clutch. She made a season-high 11 saves against Maryland. She’s been an “incredible presence in the cage,” Klaes said, working especially well off free-position shots.

In mid-March, James Madison sat 3-4. Now 7-4 and with both the offense and defense clicking, the Dukes have started to compile a compelling case for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their only path to the postseason due to their CAA ineligibility

“We’re just learning through a tough schedule where we need to be putting our focus and energy, whether that’s mental skills or stick skills,” Klaes said. “We’ve really just gotten better as the season’s gone on. We know we have what it takes to disrupt other teams offensively.”

NUMBERS OF NOTE

8

Multiple school records fell when UConn took down Columbia 20-8 in Storrs on Wednesday. The Huskies’ extended their winning streak to eight – the most consecutive wins in program history. Fifth-year midfielder Sydney Watson played a key role in the win, notching a hat trick and 19 draw controls, breaking her own single-game draw control record in the process. Uconn is 8-1.

17

Pitt hit .500 on the season after dominating Akron 18-6 on Monday. The Panthers’ defense looked especially strong in the victory with 17 caused turnovers. Nine different players tallied at least one caused turnover, led by senior defender Brittney Villhauer’s four. Three goalkeepers — Paulina DiFatta, Gabriella Turano and Riley Patrick — factored in the win.

31

Denver closed out their road trip to California with a 19-11 win over San Diego State on Sunday. The Pioneers looked strong on both the offensive and defensive ends, including tying their season high of 19 goals. Graduate attacker Bea Behrins starred for Denver, recording her 31st career hat trick and tallying five goals total. The Pioneers also held Deanna Balsama, one of the nation’s top scorers, to just four goals — below her typical average.

1996

Holy Cross dominated Boston University 19-12 in Worcester on Tuesday. The victory marked the Crusaders’ first victory over the Terriers since 1996, breaking a 10-game losing streak extending nearly three decades. Freshman attacker Isabela Miller led the way for Holy Cross, notching five goals and one assist, and senior attacker Jolie Creo and junior attacker Jenna Giardina both recorded hat tricks.