CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – James Madison lacrosse could not overcome a big day in net for North Carolina, falling to the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels 14-9 at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon.

The Dukes fell to 0-1 while UNC went to 1-0.

For the Dukes, redshirt junior Isabella Peterson got off to a strong start offensively, scoring five goals on nine shots and adding an assist. She notched her hat trick in the first quarter. Senior Tai Jankowski added her fourth career hat trick while freshman Maddie Epke scored her first career tally and added an assist.

In goal, Kat Buchanan stopped five shots in her second career start.

For the Tar Heels, freshman Marissa White scored five goals to lead UNC. Sophomore Alecia Nicholas was the key player defensively, making 14 saves on a .609 save percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – North Carolina 4, James Madison 3
Peterson scored three goals to propel JMU to a one-goal lead three separate times in the quarter. UNC scored twice in the final minute to take the lead at the quarter break.

Second Quarter – North Carolina 7, James Madison 5
After the Tar Heels extended the lead to two, Jankowski got on the board to cut the deficit to one. Peterson’s fourth tally of the afternoon at 7:15 once again made things a one-goal game, but UNC restored the two-goal lead at 5:31. The Dukes out-drew the Tar Heels 5-1 in the period.

Third Quarter – North Carolina 10, James Madison 6
Both teams traded goals in the beginning of the quarter, but UNC extended the lead to four at the 1:16 mark, its biggest of the game at that time.

Fourth Quarter – North Carolina 14, James Madison 9
UNC extended the lead to six at the 12:34, finishing a 4-0 run. JMU scored the next three, capped by Epke’s career first, cutting the deficit to 12-9 with 6:50 to play. However, UNC grabbed the final two tallies to finish the scoring.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• JMU out-shot the Tar Heels 30-29 overall and had more shots in each of the first three quarters. Saturday was JMU’s first game with more shots than UNC since Feb. 10, 2018.

• In the circle, JMU had 16 draw controls to 11 for UNC, with Peterson and Epke controlling six apiece.

• The Dukes committed just eight turnovers, matching their fewest in a game last season.

• Peterson scored at least five goals for the 13th time in her career and had her 25th career hat trick.

UP NEXT
JMU stays on the road against another ACC foe, taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Wednesday, February 15. The game is set for 5 p.m. and will air on ACC Network Extra.

— JMU Athletics —