By james art MOBILE, Ala. The James Madison women’s soccer team scored first and tied the score in the second half, but couldn’t outrun South Alabama and tied the Jaguars 2-2 on Halloween night at the Cage to close out the Sun Belt Conference regular season without a loss.
The Dukes moved to 10-3-4 (8-0-2 conf.), while South Alabama fell to 10-5-3 (5-2-3 conf.). Scorers for JMU were senior forwards Amanda Athanasi and classmate Shay Collins. Attansi’s tally marked her fourth straight game with a goal, while Collins notched her second goal of the year. Junior midfielder Soleil Flores and freshman forward Ginny Lucky assisted Athanasi’s goal.
Redshirt freshman Sofia DeCerb made his seventeenth start in goal, playing the first 45 minutes as a freshman Lily White finished last 45. JMU outscored the Jaguars 21-3, including a defensive effort that again reduced the number of shots allowed from the first half to the second (2-1)
I’m quoting the head coach Joshua Walters, Sr
“Special teams do special things! An undefeated Sun Belt season is so hard to pull off and we did it. Huge thanks to my staff Rob, Nicole, Parker, Leah, Mark and Matt for working so hard to make these players great. I’m so proud of the players for trying to be unusual and for their belief in the way we play. We are happy to make JMU Nation proud!”
How it happened
- Athanasi had the first shot on goal in the fifth minute as JMU was able to maintain possession, taking two corners in the first ten minutes and pressuring South Alabama early.
- In the 14th minute, Flores connected with Lackey, who found Athanasi on the break. She beat her defender and put it past the Jaguar goalie to give JMU a 1-0 lead.
- In the 30th minute, South Alabama was able to get the ball into their attacking zone and Irene Campo found the net with a long shot from outside the box.
- Campo struck again in the 42nd minute when he met Deserb at the top of the box and kicked the ball beyond her reach and into the net to make it 2-1 Jaguares after the break.
- In the 64th minute, Collins found space in the box and was able to fight for the ball to slot the equalizer past the Jaguars keeper to make it 2-2.
- JMU had several opportunities in overtime to go ahead, pressing into its offensive zone and forcing the Jaguar goalie into three saves, with shots by Collins, Lackey and Jamie Swartz.
- Lexi Vanderlinden delivered the final shot of the game for JMU in the 85th minute with a shot that went just over the crossbar as the Dux crossed the finish line tied.
Fast facts
- Attanasi’s 27th career goal moves her into sole possession of the 11th in JMU history.
- JMU’s last undefeated conference slate came in 1996 when the Dukes posted a 7-0-1 record in the CAA.
Next up
JMU opens the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the top seed and will face ULM on Monday, Nov. 4 from Foley, Alabama. Kickoff is set for 5:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.