HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – Fourth-seeded James Madison dominated on the offensive end and had four different goal scorers en route to a 4-1 victory against fifth-seeded Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Field Hockey Championship quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
The Dukes (12-7) advance to the MAC Championship semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 6, where they match up with top-seeded Miami (Ohio) (13-4).
Leading 2-1 entering the fourth quarter, the Dukes scored twice in a span of just over seven minutes to put the game out of reach for Central Michigan (10-9).
Three of JMU’s first four scores all came from penalty corner opportunities, as the goal scorers included Skyler Brown (9), Brynna Hill (3), Avery Ruckman (3), and Sydney Raguini (2).
JMU controlled the shots department by a 23-7 margin and held a 19-1 lead in shots on goal, as CMU’s only shot on cage was with its lone score by Hailey Bainer right before halftime.
Ashley Cogger made 15 saves for CMU on the afternoon, while Hannah Popolis got the win in net for JMU after playing the full 60 minutes.
Quoting Head Coach Christy Morgan
“I think Central Michigan absolutely showed up, but we showed up 1% better. We’re going to work a lot tonight to prepare and get better for tomorrow. I’m happy we had a variety of goal scorers and created many scoring opportunities. Go Dukes!”
How It Happened
• JMU opened the scoring just over eight minutes in on a penalty corner, as JMU used precise passing to set up Brown’s redirect goal off a Jola Ollrogge pass.
• Midway through the second, JMU doubled its lead to 2-0 on another penalty corner, as Covarrubias sent a hard shot that was deflected to the top of the goal by Hill.
• CMU trimmed the lead to 2-1 just before the break on a goal by Camryn with 12 seconds remaining in the second.
• After a scoreless third, JMU regained a two-goal lead on yet another corner play, as Ruckman fired home her third goal of the season off a CMU save to make it 3-1 with 14:04 to play.
• With an open net on the CMU end, JMU added insurance with 6:52 to go, as the Dukes made it 4-1 on a breakaway goal by Raguini, her second of the year, off the pass from Madelief Molier.
Game Notes
• JMU advanced to the MAC semifinals for the second straight season.
• The Dukes improved to 4-0-1 all-time against Central Michigan, and they’re now 3-0 versus the Chippewas since joining the MAC.
• JMU outscored CMU by a 9-3 margin this season, adding in its 5-2 win in Mount Pleasant, Mich., back on Sept. 19.
• JMU did not allow a single shot by Central Michigan until 5:23 remaining in the first half, which was blocked by the JMU defense.
— JMU Athletics —
