Sept. 1, 2012

Box Score

(1-2) 1 2 F James Madison 1 0 1 Lafayette 0 2 2 Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (2-0)

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Two second-half goals erased a 1-0 halftime deficit as the Lafayette field hockey team came from behind to defeat James Madison on Saturday afternoon at University Park.

Lafayette finally broke through at the 53:19 mark when junior Aimee Smith found the back of the cage for the second time this season. Smith cleaned up a rebound off an initial save by Wimmert on Blass' shot from the top of the circle, tying the game at 1-1.

Lafayette continued to apply pressure on the offensive end, and used a corner to score the game winner with nearly five minutes left. Deanna DiCroce inserted the short corner to Jenna Seybert, who fired a shot into traffic that was deflected past Wimmert by Maria Machalick. The deciding goal was Machalick's first of the season and the eighth of her career.

"It was a strong team performance, especially in the second half," head coach Andrew Griffiths said. "The JMU goalkeeper was excellent, so it took a lot of persistence to get our goals."

A low scoring opening half tipped the scales in favor of James Madison as the Dukes scored the only goal before halftime. JMU's Dana Allaband connected with Taylor West on a long pass, leading to a shot by West that beat Lafayette goalie Jessica Deutsch.

The Dukes survived green cards on two different occasions after West's tally and the Lafayette offense, which forced JMU goalie Lena Wimmert to make four first-half saves. One of Wimmert's stops came on a shot from Brittany Blass at the conclusion of the first half following a Leopards' corner.

Lafayette travels to University Park, Pa. to play Penn State on Sunday at 2 p.m.