MOBILE, Ala. (JMU Athletics) – An eighth minute goal from freshman Ginny Lackey lifted James Madison women’s soccer, 1-0, over No. 4 Old Dominion in the Semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship on Wednesday night at the Cage.

The Dukes moved to 11-3-5 (8-0-2 SBC) while Old Dominion fell to 10-6-3 (5-2-3 SBC). Lackey paced the offense with seven shots, with five other Dukes taking one shot apiece. Redshirt freshman Sofia DeCerb made her nineteenth start in goal, playing all 90 minutes and making six saves. JMU outshot ODU 12-10, with DeCerb making five of her six saves in the second half to keep the Dukes ahead.

How it Happened
• JMU drew a corner in the fifth minute, which Lackey got a header on but was directed over the net by the ODU keeper.
• ODU took their first shot from far out in the sixth minute that bounced off the goalpost.
• Two minutes later, JMU got into its offensive rhythm. Lexi Vanderlinden passed to Sophia Verrecchia, who got the ball to a sprinting Lackey and put a shot past the goalie to put JMU up 1-0.
• JMU got its next opportunity in the 32nd minute when Vanderlinden ripped a shot that went just over the net.
• DeCerb made her first save of the match in the 34th minute.
• Verrecchia got another shot on the goal to open the second half.
• DeCerb skied to make a save to keep the JMU lead in the 47th minute.
• Lackey got three more shots on goal in the 57th, 64th, and 70th minutes, as JMU pushed to extend its lead
• To close it out, DeCerb made three key saves in the last twenty minutes as the Dukes controlled possession and kept the Monarch opportunities limited.

Quick Facts
• Lackey surpassed 30 points in the match, being the 14th player in JMU history to record over 30 points in a season and the first since 2015.
• Vanderlinden’s assist gives her 25 for her career, moving her into sole possession of eighth place in program history. It also gives her ten assists for the season, making her the 12th player in JMU history to record 10+ assists in a season, and the most since 2019.
• JMU surpassed 50 assists for the season as a team tonight, which stands as fourth most in program history. It is also the most assists by a Sun Belt team in a season since 2020, and the fourth time JMU has recorded 50 or more assists in a season.

Up Next
JMU advances to the Sun Belt Championship and will face Texas State in the title match on Saturday, Nov. 9th from Foley, Alabama. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET.

— JMU Athletics —