BLACKSBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison lacrosse found itself down seven goals in the opening stanza before scoring 14 of the game’s final 17 goals to rally past Virginia Tech, 15-11, on Wednesday afternoon at the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility.

Savannah Derey and Maddie Epke led all players with six goals apiece. The six tallies were a career high for Derey, who previously had netted three goals on three occasions, while Epke dished out a game-best three assists to finish with a career-high nine points.

Also for JMU (1-1), Brianna Mennella added a goal and an assist while Olivia Matthews provided a pair of helpers in the win.

JMU doubled up Virginia Tech 20-10 in draw controls, highlighted by a game-high 14 from Epke. The Dukes dominated the shots department by a 40-23 count, which included 32-15 in shots on goal. JMU also held leads in ground balls (21-12) and turnovers (13-15). Caused turnovers were nearly even, with VT leading 9-8, as eight JMU players recorded a caused turnover on the afternoon.

After conceding eight goals in the opening stanza, JMU made a change in goal, as Adanya Moyer earned the win after conceding just three goals with four saves over the final 45 minutes of play.

Virginia Tech was paced by Lauren Render’s four goals while Maura O’Malley had three goals and an assist. Aaliyah Jones made 17 saves, including six in the opening period, but allowed 13 goals over the final three periods.

Quoting Head Coach Shelley Klaes:
“After a slow start, I was impressed with our team courage and ability to battle back by dominating the draw, and finding a way to beat a very good Tech goalie. Big win for the Dukes today, and Maddie Epke was stellar with fourteen draws and nine points.”

How it Happened
First Quarter – Virginia Tech 8, James Madison 2
• Virginia Tech won five of the first seven draws to jump out to an early 6-1 lead midway through the first.
• Scoring stalled for almost five minutes before the Hokies netted two more, and Epke was able to score her first on a free-position shot to make it 8-2 after one.

Second Quarter – Virginia Tech 9, James Madison 7
• Derey scored two goals over the span of 70 seconds to make it an 8-4 game.
• The Hokies netted a man-up goal to extend their lead before Derey and Epke scored three to bring the deficit to just two at the break.

Third Quarter – Virginia Tech 11, James Madison 9
• Both teams struggled to score out of the half, until Render netted back-to-back goals to give the Hokies an 11-7 lead with 5:26 to go in the quarter.
• The Dukes responded with goals from Mennella and Chloe Bleckley to bring it back within two heading to the final frame.

Fourth Quarter – James Madison 15, Virginia Tech 11
• JMU was dominant on the draw and the scoreboard in the fourth, winning all seven in the circle as the Dukes outscored VT 6-0 in the period.
• Goals by Savage and Derey knotted the game at 11 just over four minutes in and Epke’s tally with 10:05 to play gave JMU its first lead at 12-11.
• Moyer made two of her four saves in the quarter, as the Hokies only managed four shots in the final 15 minutes.
• After Derey scored her sixth to give JMU a 13-11 lead, Epke closed the door on Virginia Tech, notching the game’s final two scores for the final margin.

Game Notes
• JMU improved to 9-0 all-time against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and 21-1 all-time.
• It was also the second-most goals JMU has ever scored in a road game with VT, coming second only to its 23 goals in 2007.
• Derey’s career-high six goals marked the fourth hat trick of her career.
• Epke recorded her 11th career hat trick, as she matched Derey for game-best honors.
• Bleckley’s goal was the first of her collegiate career.

Up Next
JMU is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 15 when it travels to Sparks, Md., to face UConn in a neutral-site matchup at the USA Lacrosse Complex. The opening draw is set for a noon start.

— JMU Athletics —