COLUMBUS, Ohio (JMU Athletics) – James Madison women’s soccer went into halftime down 2-1, but couldn’t close the gap in the second half against No. 3 Ohio State in the First Round of the NCAA Championships, and fell 4-1 on Friday night inside Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The Dukes moved to 12-4-5 (8-0-2 SBC) while Ohio State improved to 13-3-5 (6-3-2 Big Ten).

Amanda Attanasi scored the Dukes’ lone goal with assists from Ginny Lackey and Lexi Vanderlinden, while Lackey and Sophia Verrecchia paced the offense with three shots apiece. Redshirt freshman Sofia DeCerb made her 21st start in goal, playing all 90 minutes and making two saves. JMU was outshot for the first time since Sep. 15th, 18-8.

How it Happened
• The Buckeyes got on the board early with a shot from Amanda Schlueter that found the back of the net in the first minute.
• Jacinda Bonham made it 2-0 Ohio State in the 21st minute with a shot that bounced off the post into the net.
• JMU got its first shot of the match when Lackey almost broke away in the 24th minute.
• DeCerb made her first save of the game in the 30th minute to keep the game in reach.
• JMU got on the board in the 35th minute as Vanderlinden found Lackey wide left who passed to Attanasi who did the rest to cut the lead in half.
• Lackey took the next shot on goal in the 49th minute as the Dukes searched for an equalizer in the second half.
• Ohio State would then use a stretch of six minutes to extend their lead to 4-1 with goals from Kailyn Dudukovich and Jadin Bonham in the 63rd and 68th minutes.
• The Dukes were able to get four more shots off but couldn’t overcome the deficit.

Quick Facts
• The Dukes’ goal is their first in an NCAA Championship match since 2010, when JMU scored goals in both their first and second round matches against Texas and North Carolina.
• The 58 assists are third-most in JMU history, and the first time since 1994 that JMU has recorded more than 55 assists in a season.
• With her assist, Vanderlinden finishes as seventh in JMU program history for career assists (25). She is the eighth player in history to record 25 or more assists in a career.
• Attanasi finishes tied for tenth in JMU program history for career goals (28).
• JMU is now 9-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

— JMU Athletics —