HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison field hockey concluded the regular season with a dominant 3-1 Senior Day win over Ohio on a windy Friday afternoon at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
Three seniors registered points as the Dukes (11-7, 6-3 MAC) held the Bobcats (5-12, 3-6 MAC) scoreless until the 59th minute of action. With the win, JMU will be the four seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference championship, and will begin tournament play against No. 5 Central Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 11:30 a.m. The tournament, hosted by James Madison, takes place Nov. 5-8, with all games streaming on ESPN+.
Madelief Molier set the tone offensively with a goal and an assist for the ninth multi-point game of her sophomore campaign. Senior Maddie Tierney is credited with the game-winning goal after finding the back of the net early in the second frame. Classmate Skyler finished with a goal, while Jola Ollrogge dished out an assist.
In goal, netminder Hannah Popolis made four stops for her third career victory.
Tiana Nhamoinesu was the lone goal scorer for Ohio, converting on a penalty stroke with 1:06 remaining in the contest. Goalkeeper Ash Stephenson notched a pair of saves in the loss, giving up a pair of goals on penalty corners.
Quoting Head Coach Christy Morgan
“We had a good showing on senior day. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing group of seniors. Some great goals and great possession play today. We are excited to build off this game going into postseason play.”
How It Happened
• On a penalty corner, a direct shot from Ollrogge was deflected into Ohio’s goalkeeper and rebounded by Tierney for the easy tap-in to make it 1-0 less than five minutes into the second period.
• Sprinting across the midfield line, Anna Collinge connected with a Molier on a fast break, who sent a cross to Brow for the score to put the Dukes ahead 2-0 early in the third.
• Down a player due to a card, Ollrogge sent a shot to the right post that was deflected by Molier on a penalty corner less than two minutes later to give JMU a 3-0 advantage heading into the fourth.
• After an incidental kicked ball, Nhamoinesu earned a penalty stroke at the 1:06 mark. Popolis got a piece of the shot with the blocker, but it still found the back of the net for the game’s final goal.
Game Notes
• James Madison held an advantage in shots (10-6) and penalty corners (7-3).
• Tierney is the sixth Duke to record a game-winning goal this season.
• For the sixth time this season, JMU successfully defended each penalty corner, with Ohio going 0-for-3.
• Molier’s offensive output gives her the team lead in goals (13) and points (28).
— JMU Athletics —
